Biomaterial Database

Serum amino acids in hepatic encephalopathy--effects of branched chain amino acid infusion on serum aminogram. 1979

A Watanabe, and A Takesue, and T Higashi, and N Nagashima

Encephalopathic patients with cirrhosis of the liver consistently showed elevated levels of the aromatic amino acids, phenylalanine, tyrosine and free tryptophan as well as methionine in serum, whereas levels of the branched chain amino acids, valine, leucine and isoleucine, were depressed. Comatose patients with fulminant hepatitis had markedly elevated levels of all amino acids, the results being greatly different from those of cirrhotic patients. Molar ratios of (valine + leucine + isoleucine)/(phenylalanine + tyrosine) decreased both in cirrhotics with and without encephalopathy and in cases with fulminant hepatitis. Infusion of a commercially available L-amino acid solution in a cirrhotic patient induced a strikingly abnormal aminogram documented in hepatic encephalopathy. Therefore, effects of branched chain amino acid infusion on the deranged amino acid pattern were primarily studied for the purpose of improvement in hepatic encephalopathy by normalization of serum amino acid patterns. Elevated levels of the aromatic amino acids and methionine could be apparently depressed in a cirrhotic patient by this type of infusion but not in a case of fulminant hepatitis probably because of the poor utilization of these amino acids in severely impaired liver.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008103	Liver Cirrhosis	Liver disease in which the normal microcirculation, the gross vascular anatomy, and the hepatic architecture have been variably destroyed and altered with fibrous septa surrounding regenerated or regenerating parenchymal nodules.	Cirrhosis, Liver,Fibrosis, Liver,Hepatic Cirrhosis,Liver Fibrosis,Cirrhosis, Hepatic
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D005260	Female		Females
D006501	Hepatic Encephalopathy	A syndrome characterized by central nervous system dysfunction in association with LIVER FAILURE, including portal-systemic shunts. Clinical features include lethargy and CONFUSION (frequently progressing to COMA); ASTERIXIS; NYSTAGMUS, PATHOLOGIC; brisk oculovestibular reflexes; decorticate and decerebrate posturing; MUSCLE SPASTICITY; and bilateral extensor plantar reflexes (see REFLEX, BABINSKI). ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY may demonstrate triphasic waves. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, pp1117-20; Plum & Posner, Diagnosis of Stupor and Coma, 3rd ed, p222-5)	Encephalopathy, Hepatic,Portosystemic Encephalopathy,Encephalopathy, Hepatocerebral,Encephalopathy, Portal-Systemic,Encephalopathy, Portosystemic,Fulminant Hepatic Failure with Cerebral Edema,Hepatic Coma,Hepatic Stupor,Hepatocerebral Encephalopathy,Portal-Systemic Encephalopathy,Coma, Hepatic,Comas, Hepatic,Encephalopathies, Hepatic,Encephalopathies, Hepatocerebral,Encephalopathies, Portal-Systemic,Encephalopathies, Portosystemic,Encephalopathy, Portal Systemic,Hepatic Comas,Hepatic Encephalopathies,Hepatic Stupors,Hepatocerebral Encephalopathies,Portal Systemic Encephalopathy,Portal-Systemic Encephalopathies,Portosystemic Encephalopathies,Stupor, Hepatic,Stupors, Hepatic
D006505	Hepatitis	INFLAMMATION of the LIVER.	Hepatitides
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D000596	Amino Acids	Organic compounds that generally contain an amino (-NH2) and a carboxyl (-COOH) group. Twenty alpha-amino acids are the subunits which are polymerized to form proteins.	Amino Acid,Acid, Amino,Acids, Amino
D000597	Amino Acids, Branched-Chain	Amino acids which have a branched carbon chain.	Branched-Chain Amino Acid,Amino Acids, Branched Chain,Acid, Branched-Chain Amino,Acids, Branched-Chain Amino,Amino Acid, Branched-Chain,Branched Chain Amino Acid,Branched-Chain Amino Acids