M. Holecek et al., Plasma amino acid levels after carbon tetrachloride induced acute liver damage. A dose-response and time-response study in rats, AMINO ACIDS, 16(1), 1999, pp. 1-11
The aims of the present study were to assess the changes of individual plas
ma amino acid levels in relation (1) to the severity of liver damage and (2
) to the process of liver recovery. Acute liver injury was induced by an in
tragastric administration of CCl4 diluted in olive oil in doses of 2, 4 and
/or 6g of CCl4 per kg b.w. The control rats received olive oil only. Animal
s were sacrificed at 16, 24, 48 and 96 hours after treatment. The severity
of liver injury was assessed by histological examination, by changes in ALT
and AST in the blood plasma and by changes in liver weight. Statistical an
alysis was carried by ANOVA, p < 0.05 was considered significant. The Spear
man rank correlation coefficient was used as a measure of the degree of lin
ear relationship between variable and dose. In the period of the developmen
t of acute liver damage, i.e. at 16 and 24 hours after treatment, an increa
se in blood plasma amino acid levels and positive correlations with the dos
e of CCl4 were observed for most individual amino acids. The only exception
was arginine which decreased in a dose dependent manner. At a phase of liv
er recovery, i.e. at 48 and 96 hours after CCl4 treatment, the concentratio
ns of some individual amino acids decreased below the control values. The n
egative correlation with the dose of CCl4 occurred for taurine and isoleuci
ne (at 48 hours) and taurine, threonine, valine? methionine, isoleucine and
leucine (at 96 hours).