Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Annals of Surgery logoLink to Annals of Surgery
. 1983 Aug;198(2):172–177. doi: 10.1097/00000658-198308000-00011

Effect of total hepatectomy and administration of branched-chain amino acids on regional norepinephrine, dopamine, and amino acids in rat brain.

P M Herlin, J H James, C A Nachbauer, J E Fischer
PMCID: PMC1353076  PMID: 6870374

Abstract

In rats after total hepatectomy, the effect of infusing glucose alone or combined with branched-chain amino acids on amino acid concentrations in plasma and cerebral cortex and on catecholamine levels in eight different regions of the brain was studied. Infusion of branched-chain amino acids reduced the accumulation of tryptophan, phenylalanine, and tyrosine in plasma, while in cerebral cortex, the concentrations of phenylalanine and tyrosine were normalized and that of tryptophan was reduced greatly. In rats with hepatectomy and glucose infusion alone, norepinephrine levels were decreased in seven of eight brain regions with the exception of striatum, while dopamine was reduced significantly in striatum only. Infusion of branched-chain amino acids resulted in higher norepinephrine in cortex, mesencephalon, and hypothalamus and higher striatal dopamine 18 hours after hepatectomy. Thus, infusing branched-chain amino acids and reducing the accumulation of various neutral amino acids in brain may partially prevent the loss of norepinephrine from brain after total hepatectomy.

Full text

PDF
172

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bucci L., Cardelli M., Chiavarelli R., Massotti M., Morisi G. Behavioral, electroencephalographic, and biochemical changes in porta-cava shunted rats. Int J Neurosci. 1980;10(2-3):129–134. doi: 10.3109/00207458009160491. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Dodsworth J. M., James J. H., Cummings M. C., Fischer J. F. Depletion of brain norepinephrine in acute hepatic coma. Surgery. 1974 Jun;75(6):811–820. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Faraj B. A., Camp V. M., Ansley J. D., Scott J., Ali F. M., Malveaux E. J. Evidence for central hypertyraminemia in hepatic encephalopathy. J Clin Invest. 1981 Feb;67(2):395–402. doi: 10.1172/JCI110047. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fischer J. E., Baldessarini R. J. Pathogenesis and therapy of hepatic coma. Prog Liver Dis. 1976;5:363–397. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Flock E. V., Tyce G. M., Owen C. A., Jr Utilization of [U-14C]glucose in brain after total hepatectomy in the rat. J Neurochem. 1966 Dec;13(12):1389–1406. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1966.tb04301.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fulks R. M., Li J. B., Goldberg A. L. Effects of insulin, glucose, and amino acids on protein turnover in rat diaphragm. J Biol Chem. 1975 Jan 10;250(1):290–298. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Garber A. J., Karl I. E., Kipnis D. M. Alanine and glutamine synthesis and release from skeletal muscle. II. The precursor role of amino acids in alanine and glutamine synthesis. J Biol Chem. 1976 Feb 10;251(3):836–843. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Glowinski J., Iversen L. L. Regional studies of catecholamines in the rat brain. I. The disposition of [3H]norepinephrine, [3H]dopamine and [3H]dopa in various regions of the brain. J Neurochem. 1966 Aug;13(8):655–669. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1966.tb09873.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. James J. H., Herlin P. M., Edwards L., Nachbauer C. A., Fischer J. E. Effect of infusing the branched-chain amino acids on concentrations of amino acids in plasma and brain and on brain catecholamines after total hepatectomy in the rat. Life Sci. 1982 Apr 19;30(16):1361–1368. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(82)90021-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Jellinger K., Riederer P., Rausch W. D., Kothbauer P. Brain monoamines in hepatic encephalopathy and other types of metabolic coma. J Neural Transm Suppl. 1978;(14):103–120. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Karobath M., Baldessarini R. J. Formation of catechol compounds from phenylalanine and tyrosine with isolated nerve endings. Nat New Biol. 1972 Apr 19;236(68):206–208. doi: 10.1038/newbio236206a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Mans A. M., Saunders S. J., Kirsch R. E., Biebuyck J. F. Correlation of plasma and brain amino acid and putative neurotransmitter alterations during acute hepatic coma in the rat. J Neurochem. 1979 Feb;32(2):285–292. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1979.tb00350.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Oldendorf W. H. Brain uptake of radiolabeled amino acids, amines, and hexoses after arterial injection. Am J Physiol. 1971 Dec;221(6):1629–1639. doi: 10.1152/ajplegacy.1971.221.6.1629. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Perry T. L., Hansen S., Berry K., Mok C., Lesk D. Free amino acids and related compounds in biopsies of human brain. J Neurochem. 1971 Mar;18(3):521–528. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1971.tb11980.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Record C. O., Buxton B., Chase R. A., Curzon G., Murray-Lyon I. M., Williams R. Plasma and brain amino acids in fulminant hepatic failure and their relationship to hepatic encephalopathy. Eur J Clin Invest. 1976 Sep 10;6(5):387–394. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2362.1976.tb00533.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Rosen H. M., Yoshimura N., Hodgman J. M., Fischer J. E. Plasma amino acid patterns in hepatic encephalopathy of differing etiology. Gastroenterology. 1977 Mar;72(3):483–487. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Smith A. R., Rossi-Fanelli F., Ziparo V., James J. H., Perelle B. A., Fischer J. E. Alterations in plasma and CSF amino acids, amines and metabolites in hepatic coma. Ann Surg. 1978 Mar;187(3):343–350. doi: 10.1097/00000658-197803000-00024. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Tyce G. M., Owen C. A., Jr Dopamine and norepinephrine in the brains of hepatectomized rats. Life Sci. 1978 Mar;22(9):781–786. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(78)90247-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Windmueller H. G., Spaeth A. E. Uptake and metabolism of plasma glutamine by the small intestine. J Biol Chem. 1974 Aug 25;249(16):5070–5079. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Annals of Surgery are provided here courtesy of Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins

RESOURCES