Rat acetoacetic acid decarboxylase inhibition by acetone

Although in mammals, acetone formation from acetoacetic acid is normally regarded as a non-enzymatic (spontaneous) process, the existence of an acetoacetic acid decarboxylase activity was postulated recently. The results imply that this enzymatic activity can be relatively important at the physiological concentrations of ketone bodies found in the rat and that acetone acts as a competitive inhibitor of this enzyme.