EFFECT OF FLUOROACETATE ON THE CONVERSION OF ISOTOPIC ACETATE TO CARBON DIOXIDE BY THE MOUSE

¹ Department of Physiology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis

An attempt has been made to evaluate in the intact animal the effect of an inhibitor on a metabolic conversion. By the method employed it was found that the administration of sodium fluoroacetate (0.2 mM per kgm. of body weight) one-half hour before the injection of carboxyl-labeled acetate (10 mM per kgm. of body weight) resulted in a depression of the rate constant for the conversion of acetate to body CO₂ to approximately 44 per cent of the values in unpoisoned mice. The rate of CO₂ output was also drastically reduced by fluoroacetate. It is emphasized that the calculation of the rate constants involves many simplifying assumptions.