Treatment of ammonia intoxication in rats with urea cycle amino acids, furosemide and fluids.
Three hundred sixty-seven male Wistar rats were used to compare the efficiency of urea cycle amino acids (arginine, citrulline and ornithine; Group O), furosemide (Group F), and fluid therapy (saline solution; Group FT) to treat ammonia toxicity. Rats were injected ip initially with an ammonium acetate solution at 99.9% of the lethal dose. Three min later the rats were allocated randomly to Group C (control, received 1.2 mL distilled water). Group O (amino acids listed earlier, 2 mmol/kg bw), Group F (furosemide, 2 mg/kg bw), Group FT (7mL saline), or Groups O+F, O+FT, F+FT, or O+F+FT. All treatments were given ip except for Group F given im injections. Plasma ammonia, urea and creatinine, and hematocrit and pulmonary dry matter were determined. The highest survival rates were obtained with O+FT (57%) and O+F+FT (62.5%); only 6% of the controls survived. Plasma ammonia levels were ten-fold lower in rats treated with O+FT and O+F+FT (p<0.0001). Fatally-poisoned rats had higher plasma ammonia, creatinine and hematocrit and exhibited pulmonary edema. Surviving rats had lower plasma urea. Animals given treatments with O, FT and F had (p<0.005) higher urea, lower creatinine and less severe pulmonary edema, respectively, than those untreated.
Kitamura
Sandra Satiko
SS
Department of Clinical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, Av Prof Dr Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87, Cep 05508-000, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Ortolani
Enrico Lippi
EL
Mori
Clara Satsuki
CS
Maruta
Celso Akio
CA
Antonelli
Alexandre Coutinho
AC
Sucupira
Maria Claudia Araripe
MC
dos Santos Michima
Lilian Emy
LE
D000641:Ammonia / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002956:Citrulline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004232:Diuretics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005440:Fluid Therapy; D005665:Furosemide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009952:Ornithine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011041:Poisoning / Q000628:therapy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D004232:Diuretics; D002956:Citrulline; D000641:Ammonia; D005665:Furosemide; D001120:Arginine; D009952:Ornithine