A simple animal model of hyperammonemia.
Rats were fed a standard diet or the standard diet supplemented with ammonium acetate (20% w/w) for up to 100 days. The effect of the ingestion of the high-ammonium diet on some aspects of nitrogen metabolism in rats was studied. Ammonia levels in blood increased approximately 3-fold; in brain, liver and muscle the increases were 36, 34 and 50%, respectively. Urea levels in blood and urea excretion increased approximately 2-fold. There was no increase of carbamyl phosphate synthase. Liver glutamine synthase activity increased by 58% and glutamate dehydrogenase by 40%, whereas glutaminase was not affected. Glutamine content in brain was twice that of controls. This new animal model to study hyperammonemia offers several advantages over others: it is simpler, is bloodless, requires no animal manipulation and permits long-term studies.
Instituto de Investigaciones Citológicas de la Caja de Ahorros de Valencia, Centro Asociado del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Spain.
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D000085:Acetates; D000641:Ammonia / Q000097:blood*; D000818:Animals; D002956:Citrulline / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D009963:Orotic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014508:Urea / Q000378:metabolism
D000085:Acetates; D002956:Citrulline; D009963:Orotic Acid; D000641:Ammonia; D014508:Urea; D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase; C018824:ammonium acetate