Skip to main content
Fig. 1 | BMC Medicine

Fig. 1

From: Ketone bodies: from enemy to friend and guardian angel

Fig. 1

Overview of the ketogenesis and ketolysis pathways. In cases of limited availability of oxaloacetate, beta oxidation of fatty acids in hepatocytes leads to the accumulation of acetyl-CoA which is channeled into the ketogenic pathway and converted to acetoacetate, the majority of which is reduced to βOHB, another part spontaneously decarboxylates to acetone. Secreted βOHB and acetoacetate are taken up by extrahepatic cells and converted back to acetyl-CoA. The latter can be entered into the TCA cycle after conjugation with oxaloacetate by citrate synthase because there is no gluconeogenesis that would drain local pools of pyruvate and oxaloacetate. FFA, free fatty acids; mThiolase, mitochondrial thiolase; HMGCS2, hydroxy methylglutaryl-CoA synthase; HMGCL, HMG-CoA lyase; BDH1, mitochondrial βOHB dehydrogenase; MCT1/2, monocarboxylate transporter 1 and 2; SCOT, succinyl-CoA:3-oxoacid-CoA transferase; CS, citrate synthase

Back to article page