THE EFFECTS OF ENDOTOXIN ADMINISTRATION ON BLOOD AMINO-ACID-CONCENTRATIONS - SIMILARITIES WITH SEPSIS

Following an acute endotoxin (LPS) administration (1 mg/kg body weight ) to rats, there was a decrease in the blood concentration of most glu coneogenic amino acids, alanine, glycine, serine, threonine and prolin e. While the administration of the endotoxin induced no changes in the concentrations of aromatic amino acids, it decreased the concentratio n of both branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine) and basic amino acids (lysine, arginine, histidine and ornithine). On a global basis, the endotoxin significantly decreased the total blood amino acid concentration 2 hrs. after the administration, the effect l asting as long as 8 hrs. after endotoxin treatment. This decrease was mainly associated with a lower blood concentration of essential amino acids. Rats induced septic, by cecal ligature and puncture, showed a b lood amino acid pattern most similar to those acutely treated with LPS .