3-hydroxybutyrate cycle

or 3-hydroxybutyrate shuttle

an intracellular metabolic cycle that can transfer reducing equivalents from the cytosol to the mitochondria in liver. Extramitochondrial NADH is oxidized to NAD⁺ by acetoacetate, which is reduced to d(−)-3-hydroxybutyrate; the latter then passes into the mitochondria where it is reoxidized to acetoacetate by intramitochondrial NAD⁺. The acetoacetate passes out into the cytosol thereby completing the cycle.

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