Effect of Tumbling Trauma on in Vivo Acetate-2-C¹⁴ Metabolism in Rats

¹ From the Department of Biochemistry, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D. C.

The effect of tumbling trauma on the in vivo aerobic carbohydrate metabolism of normal and traumatized rats has been investigated through the ability of individual organs to convert acetate-2-C¹⁴ to nonvolatile metabolites. The ability of the brain and heart to metabolize the acetate presented to their organs is not impaired. However, the ability of the liver to do this is very markedly impaired, the muscle less so and the kidney intermediate between the latter two. By following the changes in the specific activity, it has been shown that the ability of these organs to convert citrate to succinate to malate is unaffected. It is postulated that the block in the aerobic cycle may be in either the condensing enzyme or the acetyl-Co-A kinase.

Note:
with the technical assistance of Benjamin Mehlman