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CORRELATION OF PLASMA AND BRAIN AMINO ACID AND PUTATIVE NEUROTRANSMITTER ALTERATIONS DURING ACUTE HEPATIC COMA IN THE RAT
Author(s) -
Mans A. M.,
Saunders S. J.,
Kirsch R. E.,
Biebuyck J. F.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1979.tb00350.x
Subject(s) - tryptophan , glutamine , medicine , glucagon , amino acid , endocrinology , glutamate receptor , chemistry , neurotransmitter , insulin , biology , biochemistry , central nervous system , receptor
— During acute hepatic coma following two‐stage hepatic devascularization in the rat, profound changes occurred in plasma and whole‐brain amino acids and putative neurotransmitters. Brain ammonia, glutamine and GABA were increased, aspartate was decreased, while glutamate was unchanged. An increase in brain tryptophan was accompanied by a similar increase in plasma unbound tryptophan but decreased plasma total tryptophan. These changes occurred in the presence of high plasma levels of the other neutral amino acids, including the branched chain amino acids. Plasma insulin was unchanged while glucagon levels rose, resulting in a decreased insulin to glucagon ratio. These results suggest that while plasma unbound tryptophan may influence brain tryptophan levels, altered plasma concentrations of neutral amino acids which compete with tryptophan for transport into the brain do not contribute to the increase in brain tryptophan observed during acute hepatic coma.