| Library / English Dictionary |
KETONE BODY
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A ketone that is an intermediate product of the breakdown of fats in the body; any of three compounds (acetoacetic acid, acetone, and/or beta-hydroxybutyric acid) found in excess in blood and urine of persons with metabolic disorders
Synonyms:
acetone body; ketone body
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("ketone body" is a kind of...):
ketone (any of a class of organic compounds having a carbonyl group linked to a carbon atom in each of two hydrocarbon radicals)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ketone body"):
acetoacetic acid (unstable acid found in abnormal amounts in the blood and urine in some cases of impaired metabolism (as diabetes mellitus or starvation))
beta-hydroxybutyric acid (beta derivative of hydroxybutyric acid that is found in the blood and urine in some cases of impaired metabolism)
Context examples:
In liver mitochondria, some acetyl-CoA is converted to acetoacetate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and acetone, collectively called ketone bodies.
(Formation of Ketone Bodies from Acetyl-CoA Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)
