Figure 3. Pleiotropic Effects and Hypothesized Benefits of Ketotherapeutics.
Multiple ketotherapeutics produce an increase in serum ketone bodies. Ketone bodies increase oxidative metabolism, reduce oxidative stress, alter epigenetic protein post-translational modifications, increase BDNF signaling, and signal through GPRs in various model systems. Many of these effects require further study to determine the underlying mechanism of action and ultimate therapeutic value. Observed and predicted effects are indicated with solid and dashed lines respectively.