Portal and arterial free and conjugated noradrenaline in two models of portal hypertension in rats.
Free and conjugated noradrenaline concentrations were measured in portal-venous and arterial plasma from sham-operated rats or rats with portal hypertension. Two types of portal hypertension in rats were evaluated: in portal vein stenosed rats, the liver was normal, whereas cirrhosis developed in bile duct ligated rats. In cirrhotic rats, arterial free noradrenaline level was higher than in both sham-operated and portal-stenosed rats, this indicating that enhanced sympathetic nervous activity depends on the development of cirrhosis. In all groups of rats, portal venous plasma free noradrenaline was higher than arterial plasma level, indicating a production of noradrenaline by splanchnic organs. Arterial noradrenaline level may be mainly dependent on this splanchnic production in case of portal hypertension. Sulfoconjugated and glucuronoconjugated noradrenaline plasma levels were similar in the three groups of rats. This shows that alteration in conjugation is not likely to be a major factor in the abnormal circulating levels of free noradrenaline observed in cirrhotic rats.
Gaudin
C
C
Unité de Recherches de Physiopathologie Hépatique, INSERM U-24, Hôpital Beaujon, Clichy, France.
Ruget
G
G
Braillon
A
A
Selz
F
F
Cuche
J L
JL
Lebrec
D
D
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008106:Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood*; D011169:Portal Vein; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine