Effects of liver damage on ketone-body production and nitrogen balance in starved rats

Abstract

The metabolic effects of intraperitoneal administration of carbon tetrachloride (1 ml/kg) were studied in starved rats. The most notable change in circulating substrates was an 80% fall in ketone-body concentrations, which was associated with the doubling of urinary nitrogen losses. The results demonstrate the importance of starvation ketosis in permitting fat mobilization to decrease effectively protein losses during starvation.