LIVER-DAMAGE INDUCED BY ACUTE CHOLESTASIS IN THE RAT IS AMELIORATED PARTIALLY BY L-ARGININE

The aim of this paper was to determine if NO modulation would influenc e liver damage induced by 3 day-biliary obstruction. L-Arginine (500 m g kg(-1), p.o. twice a day) or L-NAME (100 mg kg(-1), p.o. twice a day ) or both were administered to male Wistar rats subjected to bile duct ligation (BDL). In the liver, BDL doubled lipid peroxidation and depl eted glycogen (P < 0.05), L-arginine completely prevented the former a nd partially the latter. Alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferas e and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase serum enzyme activities increased (P < 0.05) by BDL, again L-arginine treatment partially, but significa ntly, prevented the elevation in these three markers of liver damage. Although L-NAME treatment failed to induce a change in any marker of l iver injury studied herein, it abolished the beneficial effects of L-a rginine, suggesting that these effects are probably mediated by NO syn thesis stimulation. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved .