Liver damage induced by acute cholestasis in the rat is ameliorated partially by L-arginine.
The aim of this paper was to determine if NO modulation would influence liver damage induced by 3 day-biliary obstruction. L-Arginine (500 mg kg-1, p.o. twice a day) or L-NAME (100 mg kg-1, p.o. twice a day) or both were administered to male Wistar rats subjected to bile duct ligation (BDL). In the liver, BDL doubled lipid peroxidation and depleted glycogen (P < 0.05), L-arginine completely prevented the former and partially the latter. Alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase serum enzyme activities increased (P < 0.05) by BDL, again L-arginine treatment partially, but significantly, prevented the elevation in these three markers of liver damage. Although L-NAME treatment failed to induce a change in any marker of liver injury studied herein, it abolished the beneficial effects of L-arginine, suggesting that these effects are probably mediated by NO synthesis stimulation.
Muriel
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P
Departamento de Farmacología y Toxicología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del I.P.N., Mexico, D.F., Mexico. pmuriel@mail.cinvestav.mx
González
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P
D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002779:Cholestasis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006003:Glycogen / Q000378:metabolism; D008054:Lipid Peroxides / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood
D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D008054:Lipid Peroxides; D006003:Glycogen; D001120:Arginine; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester