Basic Ketone Engine and Booster Glucose Engine for Energy Production.
Recently, hyperketonemia induced by fasting or ketogenic diet calls attention because of the
possibilities for various clinical applications. Animal species comparisons and biochemical
data show that all fetuses can develop by using ketogenic energy through a pathway which
seems to have been maintained.
We hypothesized that 3-β-hydroxybutyrate could be the fuel for the basic engine
that produces energy in all terrestrial species.
However, ATP production from glucose-pyruvic acid pathway seems to be added
as a dominant system in human. We hypothesize the establishment of TCA cycle in mitochondria
and enough oxygen
supply since two billion years ago would be the key events to promote this change. The efficacy
of ATP production from β-oxidation product is 10 ATP molecules, while it is 12.5 molecules
from pyruvic acid.
So, evolution should select glucose burning system as a booster engine for
energy production. The liver and kidney are major ketone producing organs which contain
abundant glycogen particles. So, a close relationship between ketone and glucose burning
system may be present.
Placenta is the ketogenic tissue which reflects high concentration of ketones in umbilical cord blood.
In addition to the role of energy source, β-HB shows various pharmacological effects on disease
prevention, such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, etc.
The contribution of intestinal microbiota to ketone body production should open a
new field of medicine. Altogether, the above data suggest that longer-term human studies are
necessary to exclude risks of unbalanced diet and to confirm the best combination of fuels for
energy production, disease prevention and medical treatment.
KEYWORDS: Ketone; β-hydroxy butyrate; TCA cycle; Hitson;
Diabetes Res Open J. 2016; 2(1): 14-23. doi: 10.17140/DROJ-2-125
