[Relationship between acetate metabolism and TCA cycle in rumen epithelium of normal, starved and alloxan diabetic sheep].

It was reported that there was a relationship between the acetate metabolism and TCA cycle in rumen epithelium of sheep. The present study was designated to elucidate how this relationship was influenced by starvation and alloxan treatment. The results obtained are summarized as follows. There was no effect of the addition of citrate or succinate on the "C transfer from "C-acetate into CO„glucose, ketone bodies and lipid fractions and there was also no effect of the acetate addition on the "C transfer from "C-citrate or -succinate into all these fractions in rumen epithelium of normally fed sheep. In rumen epithelium of starved sheep, the "C transfer from "C-acetate into ketone bodies, cholesterol, NEFA and phospholipid was increased and the "C-glucose formation from C-acetate was decreased by the addition of citrate, and the "C-transfer from "C-citrate into ketone bodies, triglyceride and phospholipid was decreased by the addition of acetate. But in rumen epithelium of alloxan diabetic sheep, there was no effect of the citrate addition on the acetate metabolism, and there was also no effect of the acetate addition on the citrate metabolism. In rumen epithelium of starved and alloxan diabetic sheep, the "C transfer from "C-acetate into ketone bodies, cholesterol, NEFA and phospholipid was increased by the addition of succinate, and the 14C transfer from "C -succinate into ketone bodies, cholesterol and phospholipid was increased by the addition of acetate. As mentioned above, the relationship between acetate metabolism and TCA cycle in rumen epithelium of sheep was changed by starvation and alloxan treatment. (See pp. 60-66)