Elevation of serum indoleacetic acid levels in rats with experimental liver failure

Abstract

In liver failure, several metabolic abnormalities have been described. Liver dysfunction is also characterized by increased levels of aromatic amino acids, such as tyrosine or phenylalanine, in plasma and in cerebrospinal fluids of patients and experimental animals with hepatic encephalopathy.1 -3) The elevation of tryptophan (TRP) in blood has been noted in hepatic failure.45 It is well known that TRP is mainly metabolized via the kynurenine or the serotonin pathway. Disturbances of TRP metabolism, such as the elevation of kynurenine or serotonin, have been demonstrated to exist in the urine of patients and in the brain of rats with hepatic failure.5. © 1985, The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan. All rights reserved.