Metabolism of acetate in scorbutic guinea pigs

¹ Department of Physiology, Bikaner Medical College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India

The effects of feeding acetate on the glucose tolerance, deposition of liver glycogen; urinary excretion of citric acid, malic acid and ketone bodies; total body lipid, phospholipid and cholesterol; and cholesterol content of different tissues were studied in normal and scorbutic guinea pigs. The effects of prolonged insulin treatment on the urinary excretion of citrate, malate and ketone bodies were also studied in normal and scorbutic guinea pigs fed acetate. It was observed that when normal guinea pigs were fed acetate, total body lipid and liver glycogen increased and there was no change in body cholesterol, tissue cholesterol and glucose tolerance. In scorbutic guinea pigs total body cholesterol and cholesterol contents of blood, small intestine and testes were increased and were further enhanced when the animals were fed acetate. Lowered glucose tolerance, diminished liver glycogen, total body lipid and phospholipid observed in scorbutic guinea pigs did not change after acetate feeding. The increased urinary excretions of ketone bodies, citric acid and malic acid by scorbutic guinea pigs came down to normal levels when they were injected with insulin. The increased cholesterogenesis in scurvy seems to be due to hypoinsulinism.

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