EFFECT OF A PARENTERAL NUCLEOSIDE-NUCLEOTIDE MIXTURE ON HEPATIC-METABOLISM IN PARTIALLY HEPATECTOMIZED CIRRHOTIC RATS

After hepatectomy, purine and pyrimidine metabolism is a key process i n synthesis of DNA and RNA and in energy metabolism. To supply nucleos ides for salvage synthesis, nucleoside-nucleotide mixture solutions ha ve been developed, and they have been found to improve protein metabol ism and hepatic regeneration after partial hepatectomy in normal rats. However, the effect of the solution in cirrhotic Liver, common in pat ients with hepatocellular carcinoma, has not been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the metabolic effect of the nucleoside-nuc leotide mixture on cirrhotic rats after partial hepatectomy. Seventy p ercent partial hepatectomy was performed in thioacetamide-administered cirrhotic rats. The fractional protein synthetic rate, nitrogen balan ce, hepatic content of nucleic acid, and blood chemistry after the adm inistration of the nucleoside-nucleotide mixture solution (OG-VI) with total parenteral nutrition was evaluated at 7 d after partial hepatec tomy. OG-VI increased hepatic RNA level and hepatic fractional protein synthetic rate (p < 0.05). It is concluded that the nucleoside-nucleo tide mixture solution is an effective nutritional supplement to the me tabolism of cirrhotic rats after partial hepatectomy.