Residual Amino Acid Imbalance in Rats during Recovery from Acute Thioacetamide-Induced Hepatic Encephalopathy Indicates Incomplete Healing

Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Feb 11;24(4):3647. doi: 10.3390/ijms24043647.

Abstract

The delayed consequences of the influence of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) on the metabolism of animals have not been studied enough. We have previously shown that the development of acute HE under the influence of the thioacetamide (TAA) toxin is accompanied by pathological changes in the liver, an imbalance in CoA and acetyl CoA, as well as a number of metabolites of the TCA cycle. This paper discusses the change in the balance of amino acids (AAs) and related metabolites, as well as the activity of glutamine transaminase (GTK) and ω-amidase enzymes in the vital organs of animals 6 days after a single exposure to TAA. The balance of the main AAs in blood plasma, liver, kidney, and brain samples of control (n = 3) and TAA-induced groups (n = 13) of rats that received the toxin at doses of 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg was considered. Despite the apparent physiological recovery of the rats at the time of sampling, a residual imbalance in AA and associated enzymes persisted. The data obtained give an idea of the metabolic trends in the body of rats after their physiological recovery from TAA exposure and may be useful for prognostic purposes when choosing the necessary therapeutic agents.

Keywords: HPLC; amino acids; enzymes; glutamate; glutamine; hepatic encephalopathy.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acids* / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Hepatic Encephalopathy* / chemically induced
  • Hepatic Encephalopathy* / pathology
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Liver / pathology
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Thioacetamide / adverse effects

Substances

  • Amino Acids
  • Thioacetamide

Grants and funding

This research was funded in part by the Russian Ministry of Science and Education, grant number 14.604.21.0116 awarded to B.F.K.—the unique identification number of the applied scientific research was RFMEFI60414X0116—and through base funding from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (E.P.I. and Y.I.D.).