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Blockade of glucocorticoid receptors prevents the increase in urea synthesis after hysterectomy in rats
Author(s) -
HEINDORFF H.,
ALMDAL T. P.,
VILSTRUP H.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
european journal of clinical investigation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.164
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1365-2362
pISSN - 0014-2972
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2362.1991.tb01419.x
Subject(s) - glucocorticoid receptor , blockade , urea , chemistry , medicine , endocrinology , glucocorticoid , receptor , antiglucocorticoid , nitrogen balance , nitrogen , biochemistry , organic chemistry
Abstract. The postoperative increase in hepatic conversion of amino nitrogen to urea nitrogen seems to be a primary cause of post‐surgical catabolism. The importance of glucocorticosteroids for the spontaneous urea nitrogen synthesis rate (UNSR) and for the maximally amino acid‐stimulated capacity of urea nitrogen synthesis (CUNS) was investigated 3 and 24 h postoperatively, respectively, in hysterectomized rats. Corticosteroid effects were neutralized by gluco‐corticoid receptor blockade by the pharmacological analogue RU486. Hysterectomy doubled UNSR from 3·16 ± 0·20 to 6·12 ± 0·27 μmol (per min per 100 g body weight) after 3 h ( P < 0·01) and increased CUNS by 40% from 7·47 ± 0·30 to 10·29 ± 0·41 μmol (per min per 100 g body weight) after 24 h ( P < 0·01). These changes were both normalized by the receptor blockade. Hysterectomy decreased total blood α‐amino nitrogen concentration by 25% from 3·4 ± 0·2 to 2·6 ± 0·2 mmol l ‐1 ( P < 0·05) 3 h after surgery, which was normalized by glucocorticoid receptor blockade. Hysterectomized rats lost 10 ± 1 g the first 24 h after surgery. The blockade reduced the weight loss to 6 ± 1 g body weight ( P < 0·05) without changing food intake. The results indicate that glucocorticoid action plays a major role in the postoperative increase in hepatic amino nitrogen conversion.