82 III. OXIDATION AND METABOLISM 



Table 1 



The Oxidation Metabolism of Liver Slices 

 OF Six Depancreatized Cats" 



» Adapted from W. C. Stadie, Physiol. Revs., 25, 395-441 (1945), p. 402. 

 * Calculated from urea and ammonia formation. 

 ' Calculated for palmitic acid. 



However, these criticisms have been largely met by studies^" which demon- 

 strated that the extent of acetate formation, as registered bj^ the sensitive 

 lanthanum method, ^^ varied \\\i\\ the intensity of fat oxidation. Leloir 

 and ]\Iunoz^^ also proved, by the use of this technie, that acetic acid was 

 present when octanoic acid was degraded by liver slices. Moreover, 

 Atchlej'^" demonstrated the presence of propionic acid after valeric acid had 

 been oxidized by the kidney, as well as of isobutyric acid, following the 

 oxidation of isocaproic acid. 



Although the multiple alternate oxidation theory is an attractive one 

 which explains the fact that a greater ketone body formation results from 

 long-chain acids than from short-chain acids, it lacks experimental con- 

 firmation. Thus, the presence of either mono- or polyketonic acids has not 

 been established. Although an Q;,7-diketo acid, acetopjTmic acid (CHs-- 



« D. Kruger and E Tschirch, Ber., 63, 826-836 (1930). 



