The lethal, hypoglycaemic and hypothermic effects of hypoglycin in fasted rats are prevented if the rats had been fed on a diet containing clofibrate (0.5% w/w). 2. Injection of hypoglycin into fasted rats maintained on a standard diet caused severe prostration, hypothermia and a massive dicarboxylic aciduria [Tanaka (1972) J. Biol. Chem. 247, 7465-7478]. 3. Rats maintained on a diet containing clofibrate appeared normal after injection of hypoglycin, but had a marked dicarboxylic aciduria which was less than that induced in rats on a normal diet. 4. After administration of hypoglycin, butyryl-CoA and decanoyl-CoA, but not palmitoyl-CoA, dehydrogenase activities were strongly inhibited (80-95%) in the livers of animals on a standard diet. 5. Clofibrate feeding decreased the inhibition of these dehydrogenases to about 40-60%. 6. It was concluded that although clofibrate protects against the toxic effects of hypoglycin, some enzyme inhibitions as indicated by dicarboxylic aciduria are only partly prevented.