SERUM AMINO-ACID CHANGES IN RATS WITH THIOACETAMIDE-INDUCED LIVER-CIRRHOSIS

To date, no attempt has been made to study alterations occurring in th e amino acid profile in chronic models of thioacetamide-induced liver cirrhosis. In this work, changes in serum amino acids and proteins in rats with thioacetamide-induced liver cirrhosis are reported, together with changes in enzyme activities in the liver and serum. Seventeen f emale Wistar rats were used. Eight rats were given 300 mg thioacetamid e/1 in drinking water for 4 months and nine rats were given water ad l ibitum during the same time-period. Significant increases in glycine, alanine, serine, methionine, glutamate, ornithine, phenylalanine, tyro sine, histidine and proline were observed in rats with the resulting e xperimental liver cirrhosis. Threonine, taurine, glutamine, lysine and citrulline tended to increase while isoleucine, leucine, aspartate, a rginine and tryptophan tended to decrease. Total and nonessential amin o acids increased significantly in cirrhotic animals. Total essential and aromatic amino acids tended to increase in the thioacetamide-treat ed group, whereas branched chain amino acids tended to decrease in the same group. Regarding serum proteins, a decrease in albumin concentra tion in the thioacetamide-treated animals was the only change detected . The liver enzyme activities under observation (aspartate and alanine aminotransferases, glutamate dehydrogenase and threonine deaminase) w ere lower in the thioacetamide group. Decreases were significant for b oth transaminases and threonine deaminase. Results for serum activitie s showed that transaminases did not change in thioacetamide-treated ra ts in comparison with controls. In contrast, alkaline phosphatase rose dramatically in cirrhotic rats. We conclude that the serum amino acid pattern in this chronic model of liver cirrhosis resembles in part th at of the corresponding human disease.