Studies in Carbohydrate Metabolism

Abstract

The color developed by the addition of dihydroxyacetone to a solution of phenol in H2SO4 is used to estimate dihydroxyacetone in small amounts of blood. Dihydroxyacetone rapidly disappears from the blood stream and causes the recovery of rabbits and mice from the symptoms of insulin hypoglycaemia. Two cases of diabetes also appeared to utilize the substance readily. The hypothesis is presented that this substance is directly utilizable by the normal or diabetic organism and need not first be converted into glucose.