AJP - Endocrinology and Metabolism, Vol 268, Issue 4 E660-E667, Copyright © 1995 by American Physiological Society
Metabolism of (R,S)-1,3-butanediol acetoacetate esters, potential parenteral and enteral nutrients in conscious pigs
S. Desrochers, P. Dubreuil, J. Brunet, M. Jette, F. David, B. R. Landau and H. Brunengraber
Department of Biochemistry, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
The (R,S)-1,3-butanediol-acetoacetate monoesters and diester are nonionized
sodium-free precursors of ketone bodies (beta-hydroxybutyrate and
acetoacetate). They represent a convenient form of ketone body
administration for parenteral and enteral nutrition. We have studied the
metabolism of the esters in the conscious pig, an animal in which
ketogenesis is congenitally impaired. Some pigs were infused for 3 h,
intravenously or intragastrically, with the esters or with
(R,S)-1,3-butanediol at 30% of the hourly caloric requirement. Other pigs
were given intragastric boluses of esters or of (R,S)-1,3-butanediol at 15%
of the daily caloric requirement. Our data show that continuous infusion of
the esters at 30% of the caloric requirement leads to low concentrations of
(R,S)-1,3-butanediol (0.1 mM) and total ketone bodies (0.5 mM). In pigs
given intragastric boluses of esters at 15% of the daily caloric
requirement, concentrations of (R,S)-1,3-butanediol and total ketone bodies
peaked briefly at 2-3 and 5 mM, respectively. No deleterious side effects
were observed in any group, including no hypoglycemia and no acidosis. Thus
the (R,S)-1,3-butanediol acetoacetate esters appears to be well utilized as
a nutrient by the pig despite its impaired ketogenesis.
