Most of the patients with carnitine-palmitoyl-transferase deficiency (CPT) show reduced levels of blood ketone bodies in the postabsorptive state. In the present study, we have evaluated ketone body and glucose kinetics in patients with CPT deficiency. Intermediate metabolites of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism have also been studied. Ketone body (KB) turnover was measured by means of sequential intravenous bolus injections of 3-14C acetoacetate and 3-14C D(-) 3-hydroxybutyrate in four patients with liver, platelet, and muscle deficiency of CPT system and in eight normal overnight fasting subjects. 6-3H glucose was also injected, along with 3-14C ketone bodies to measure glucose turnover rate. Three out of four CPT deficiency patients had normal KB turnover, despite a marked reduction in liver CPT activity. Only one subject, with severe defect of CPT activity in liver, showed a significantly reduced, but still present rate of de novo synthesis of acetoacetate and 3-hydroxybutyrate (40 and 51 mumol/m-2/min-1 respectively) in comparison with control subjects (103 +/- 14 and 157 +/- 22 mumol/m-2/min-1). Blood concentrations of dicarboxylic adipic and suberic acids were significantly higher in CPT deficiency patients (0.035 +/- 0.007 and 0.021 +/- 0.005, mmol/L respectively) than in control subjects (0.008 +/- 0.008 and 0.006 +/- 0.003 respectively). Basal glucose turnover was increased in CPT deficiency patients (505 +/- 13 mumol/m-2/min-1) in comparison with normal subjects (433 +/- 18 mumol/m-2/min-1; P less than .01) as well as clearance rates (127 +/- 3 mL/m-2/min-1 and 91 +/- 11 mL/m-2/min-1, respectively; P less than .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)