Acetoacetic acid metabolism by skeletal muscle fibers from control and diabetic rats.

Previously we demonstrated that both diaphragm and adductor fibers from alloxan diabetic rats take up less acetoacetic acid than diaphragm and fibers from control rats (1). To date it has not been possible to show an influence of insulin on ketone utilization by muscle (2). The present paper extends the previous Fork on acetoacetic acid uptake to pancreatectomized rats, which show a decrease in uptake similar to that found in alloxan diabetes, and also reports on the effect of glucose and of glucose and insulin on the acetoacetic acid uptake of skeletal muscle fibers from control and pancreatectomized rats. In agreement with present concepts of intermediary metabolism, insulin in the presence of glucose increased acetoacetic acid uptake by skeletal muscle fibers from either control or pancreatectomized rats. Furthermore, the amount of C1402 formed from acetoacetate-Cl* was decreased in fibers from diabetic as compared to control rats.