Influence of dietary 1,3-butanediol on wieght gain, blood, and liver metabolites and lipogenesis in the pig and chick

Abstract

The influence of dietary 1,3-butanediol (BD) on body weight gain, blood and liver metabolites, and on lipogenesis in pigs and chicks was studied. Body weight gain and energy intake of both pigs and chicks were depressed when the dietary energy derived from BD exceeded about 20 percent. Circulating beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate levels were markedly increased by dietary BD. Plasma triglyceride levels were increased in pigs and unchanged in chicks fed BD-containing diets. In vitro rates of fatty acid synthesis and the activities of fatty acid synthetase and malic enzyme in pig adipose tissue were not affected by the dietary BD. Neither addition of 18 percent dietary energy in the form of BD to the diet nor addition of BD to the incubation buffer affected glucose conversion to fatty acids by chick liver slices. Dietary BD did not affect long-chain acyl CoA levels in freeze-clamped chick liver but did increase the free CoA levels slightly. The hepatic lactate: pyruvate ratio was decreased when chicks were fed a BD-containing diet.