title: Effectiveness of recombinant human serum albumin in the treatment of ascites in liver cirrhosis: evidence from animal model.
abstract: 1. To investigate the effectiveness of recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA) in the treatment of ascites in liver cirrhosis, we examined its effect on rats with carbon tetrachloride-induced liver cirrhosis. 2. Twenty-five percent rHSA was administered intravenously at a dose of 0.25 to 1.0 g/kg for 2 days to rats with liver cirrhosis accompanied by ascites retention and hypoalbuminemia. 3. rHSA dose dependently decreased abdominal circumference, a clinical index of ascites, with significant difference at a dose of 1.0 g/kg. 4. Although there was no significant difference, rHSA increased blood colloid osmotic pressure (b-COP) and urine volume (UV) in a nearly dose-dependent manner, with significant negative correlation between changes from baseline value in these parameters and in abdominal circumference. 5. These findings suggest that rHSA has abdominal circumference-decreasing action associated with b-COP improvement and UV increase and that it could be effective as a therapeutic drug for ascites in patients with liver cirrhosis accompanied by hypoalbuminemia.
authors.affiliation: Central Research Laboratory, The Green Cross Corporation, Hirakata, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Horie
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yuuki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hanada
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakamura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001201:Ascites / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000652:urine; D002252:Carbon Tetrachloride Poisoning / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008106:Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000652:urine; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012709:Serum Albumin