On the estimation of alternative pathways of fatty acid oxidation in the liver in vivo.

The relative contributions of mitochondrial beta-oxidation and peroxisomal beta-oxidation and peroxisomal omega-oxidation to the oxidation of a given fatty acid in vivo can be quantitated by an isotopic method. The approach requires infusion of a fatty acid labelled on two specific carbon atoms (e.g. [1-14C] and [11-14C] palmitate) to an isotopic steady state, with subsequent isolation and degradation of an acetylated conjugate as a product of the liver cytosolic acetyl CoA pool and of ketone bodies as a product of the liver mitochondrial acetyl CoA pool.