Ketone body

Ketone body refers to a small class of water-soluble molecules—specifically acetoacetate (AcAc), beta-hydroxybutyrate (βOHB, also called 3HB), and acetone—that are produced primarily in the liver from fatty acids during periods of low carbohydrate availability, such as fasting, prolonged exercise, starvation, and untreated type 1 diabetes mellitus[1][2][6]. These compounds serve as an alternative energy substrate when glucose is not available, especially for the brain, heart, muscle, and kidney[1][4][8][5]. They circulate in blood and are taken up by extrahepatic tissues, where they are metabolized in the mitochondria to acetyl-CoA, ultimately entering the citric acid cycle for energy production[1][6][4]. Ketone body synthesis (ketogenesis) is regulated through hormonal signals, chiefly insulin and glucagon, and other regulatory factors[2][8]. Excessive accumulation, particularly in diabetes, may precipitate ketoacidosis, a dangerous metabolic disturbance requiring urgent intervention[5][3][9]. Ketone bodies are not a single, discrete receptor, enzyme, transporter, or classical druggable target, but rather a class of endogenous metabolites with central roles in energy metabolism[1][6][9].

Other names

ketone bodiesketonesblood ketonesserum ketonesbeta-hydroxybutyrateacetoacetateacetone