The metabolism of diacetyl (2,3-butanedione), acetoin (3-hydroxy-2-butanone), and 2,3-butanediol, which are metabolites of acetaldehyde was quantitatively investigated using rat liver homogenate, liver perfusion, and in vivo experiments. Diacetyl and acetoin were reduced to 2,3-butanediol in these experiments, but acetoin and 2,3-butanediol were scarcely oxidized to diacetyl, indicating that the reduction reaction to 2,3-butanediol from diacetyl occurs actively in rat liver. The formation of acetoin from diacetyl required either NADH or NADPH as a reductant, while the reduction of acetoin to 2,3-butanediol required NADH. Acetoin and 2,3-butanediol were more readily accumulated than diacetyl in brain tissue.
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Otsuka et al. (1996) studied this question.
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