Go to JCI Insight
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Alerts
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Neuroscience
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • Vascular biology
    • All ...
  • Videos
    • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
    • Author's Takes
  • Reviews
    • View all reviews ...
    • Lung inflammatory injury and tissue repair (Jul 2023)
    • Immune Environment in Glioblastoma (Feb 2023)
    • Korsmeyer Award 25th Anniversary Collection (Jan 2023)
    • Aging (Jul 2022)
    • Next-Generation Sequencing in Medicine (Jun 2022)
    • New Therapeutic Targets in Cardiovascular Diseases (Mar 2022)
    • Immunometabolism (Jan 2022)
    • View all review series ...
  • Viewpoint
  • Collections
    • In-Press Preview
    • Commentaries
    • Research letters
    • Letters to the editor
    • Editorials
    • Viewpoint
    • Top read articles
  • Clinical Medicine
  • JCI This Month
    • Current issue
    • Past issues

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • Reviews
  • Review series
  • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
  • Author's Takes
  • In-Press Preview
  • Commentaries
  • Research letters
  • Letters to the editor
  • Editorials
  • Viewpoint
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Alerts
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
Top
  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a comment
  • Share this article
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Need help? Email the journal
  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history
  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article

Advertisement

Research Article Free access | 10.1172/JCI109344

Plasma Acetone Metabolism in the Fasting Human

G. A. Reichard Jr., A. C. Haff, C. L. Skutches, P. Paul, C. P. Holroyde, and O. E. Owen

Department of Research, Lankenau Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19151

Department of Medicine and the General Clinical Research Center, Temple University Health Sciences Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140

Find articles by Reichard, G. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Research, Lankenau Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19151

Department of Medicine and the General Clinical Research Center, Temple University Health Sciences Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140

Find articles by Haff, A. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Research, Lankenau Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19151

Department of Medicine and the General Clinical Research Center, Temple University Health Sciences Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140

Find articles by Skutches, C. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Research, Lankenau Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19151

Department of Medicine and the General Clinical Research Center, Temple University Health Sciences Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140

Find articles by Paul, P. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Research, Lankenau Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19151

Department of Medicine and the General Clinical Research Center, Temple University Health Sciences Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140

Find articles by Holroyde, C. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Research, Lankenau Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19151

Department of Medicine and the General Clinical Research Center, Temple University Health Sciences Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140

Find articles by Owen, O. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

Published April 1, 1979 - More info

Published in Volume 63, Issue 4 on April 1, 1979
J Clin Invest. 1979;63(4):619–626. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI109344.
© 1979 The American Society for Clinical Investigation
Published April 1, 1979 - Version history
View PDF
Abstract

The metabolism of acetone was studied in lean and obese humans during starvation ketosis. Acetone concentrations in plasma, urine, and breath; and rates of endogenous production, elimination in breath and urine, and in vivo metabolism were determined. There was a direct relationship between plasma acetone turnover (20-77 μmol/m2 per min) and concentration (0.19-1.68 mM). Breath and urinary excretion of acetone accounted for a 2-30% of the endogenous production rate, and in vivo metabolism accounted for the remainder. Plasma acetone oxidation accounted for ≅60% of the production rate in 3-d fasted subjects and about 25% of the production rate in 21-d fasted subjects. About 1-2% of the total CO2 production was derived from plasma acetone oxidation and was not related to the plasma concentration or production rate. Radioactivity from [14C]acetone was not detected in plasma free fatty acids, acetoacetate, β-hydroxybutyrate, or other anionic compounds, but was present in plasma glucose, lipids, and proteins. If glucose synthesis from acetone is possible in humans, this process could account for 11% of the glucose production rate and 59% of the acetone production rate in 21-d fasted subjects. During maximum acetonemia, acetone production from acetoacetate could account for 37% of the anticipated acetoacetate production, which implies that a significant fraction of the latter compound does not undergo immediate terminal oxidation.

Browse pages

Click on an image below to see the page. View PDF of the complete article

icon of scanned page 619
page 619
icon of scanned page 620
page 620
icon of scanned page 621
page 621
icon of scanned page 622
page 622
icon of scanned page 623
page 623
icon of scanned page 624
page 624
icon of scanned page 625
page 625
icon of scanned page 626
page 626
Version history
  • Version 1 (April 1, 1979): No description

Article tools

  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a comment
  • Share this article
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Need help? Email the journal

Metrics

  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article

Go to

  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history
Advertisement
Advertisement

Copyright © 2023 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

Sign up for email alerts