title: Treatment of ammonia intoxication in rats with urea cycle amino acids, furosemide and fluids.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: 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.
authors.forename: Sandra Satiko
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: Enrico Lippi
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Ortolani
authors.forename: Clara Satsuki
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Celso Akio
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Maruta
authors.forename: Alexandre Coutinho
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Antonelli
authors.forename: Maria Claudia Araripe
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Sucupira
authors.forename: Lilian Emy
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: dos Santos Michima
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D004232:Diuretics; D002956:Citrulline; D000641:Ammonia; D005665:Furosemide; D001120:Arginine; D009952:Ornithine