Acetoacetate protects macrophages from lactic acidosis-induced mitochondrial dysfunction by metabolic reprograming

Abstract

Lactic acidosis is a metabolic state that occurs in injured tissues. Here the authors show that macrophages, in order to remain functional in acidosis, reduce their mitochondrial mass by mitophagy and rely on autophagy for survival, with mitochondrial integrity retained using acetoacetate as alternative fuel.