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Comparative Study
. 2017 May 3;66(2):177-182.
doi: 10.1538/expanim.16-0090. Epub 2017 Jan 19.

β hydroxybutyrate levels in serum and cerebrospinal fluid under ketone body metabolism in rats

Xiaomeng Wang  1   2 , Qi Liu  1 , Jian Zhou  3 , Xiuhua Wu  1 , Qingan Zhu  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

β hydroxybutyrate levels in serum and cerebrospinal fluid under ketone body metabolism in rats

Xiaomeng Wang et al. Exp Anim. .

Abstract

A high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet (KD) or calorie restriction in the form of every-other-day fasting (EODF) results in ketone body metabolism with an increasing β-hydroxybutyrate (βOHB) level. Previous studies have supported that a KD and EODF have a neuroprotective effect. However, the βOHB levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) resulting from a KD and EODF remain unknown. The aim of this study was to detect βOHB levels in rats fed a KD, EODF diet, and every-other-day ketogenic diet (EODKD) and to compare the serum βOHB level with the CSF βOHB level. Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into KD, EODF, EODKD, and standard diet (SD) groups. A customized food with a ratio of carbohydrates to fats of 1:4 was used in the KD and EODKD groups. The βOHB level was measured using ELISA kits in 200 µl serum and 100 µl CSF samples for each rat after feeding for 2 weeks. The KD, EODF, and EODKD resulted in a significant increase in βOHB levels in both the serum and CSF. The βOHB levels in the EODKD group were the highest. The CSF βOHB level was, on average, 69% of the serum βOHB level. There was a positive correlation between the overall βOHB levels in serum and that in cerebrospinal fluid. This study demonstrated that the KD, EODF, and EODKD resulted in ketone body metabolism, as the βOHB levels increased significantly compared with those resulting from the standard diet. Our results suggested that the serum βOHB level was an indicator of the CSF βOHB level, and that the EODKD was an effective diet to enhance ketogenic metabolism.

Keywords: CSF; ketone dody metabolism; serum; βOHB concentration.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
The body weight of rats fed the SD, KD, EODF diet, and EODKD. The body weight in the SD group increased steadily and was significantly higher than those of the three experimental groups beginning on the 4th day. Means marked with an asterisk are significantly different (P<0.05) those of the KD, EODF, and EODKD groups. There were six rats in each group. Differences were tested using Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA and the Mann-Whitney U test.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Concentrations of β-hydroxybutyrate in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of rats fed the SD, KD, EODF diet and EODKD. The letters a, b, and c indicate the SD, KD, and EODF groups, respectively. Means marked with letters (a, b, c) are significantly different (P<0.05). An asterisk indicates a significant difference between the serum and CSF (P<0.05). There were six rats in each group. Differences among groups were tested using Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA and the Mann-Whitney U test, while differences within groups were tested using the Wilcoxon Matched Pairs test.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Correlation between the serum and cerebrospinal fluid β-hydroxybutyrate levels in rats fed the SD, KD, EODF diet, and EODKD. There were six rats in each group. Correlation was tested using Spearman rank-order correlation.
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