title: Selective alterations of brain osmolytes in acute liver failure: protective effect of mild hypothermia.
abstract: The principal cause of mortality in patients with acute liver failure (ALF) is brain herniation resulting from intracranial hypertension caused by a progressive increase of brain water. In the present study, ex vivo high-resolution 1H-NMR spectroscopy was used to investigate the effects of ALF, with or without superimposed hypothermia, on brain organic osmolyte concentrations in relation to the severity of encephalopathy and brain edema in rats with ALF due to hepatic devascularization. In normothermic ALF rats, glutamine concentrations in frontal cortex increased more than fourfold at precoma stages, i.e. prior to the onset of severe encephalopathy, but showed no further increase at coma stages. In parallel with glutamine accumulation, the brain organic osmolytes myo-inositol and taurine were significantly decreased in frontal cortex to 63% and 67% of control values, respectively, at precoma stages (p<0.01), and to 58% and 67%, respectively, at coma stages of encephalopathy (p<0.01). Hypothermia, which prevented brain edema and encephalopathy in ALF rats, significantly attenuated the depletion of myo-inositol and taurine. Brain glutamine concentrations, on the other hand, did not respond to hypothermia. These findings demonstrate that experimental ALF results in selective changes in brain organic osmolytes as a function of the degree of encephalopathy which are associated with brain edema, and provides a further rationale for the continued use of hypothermia in the management of this condition.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Unit, Hôpital Saint-Luc (CHUM), 1058 St.-Denis Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2X 3J4.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zwingmann
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chatauret
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Leibfritz
authors.forename: Roger F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Butterworth
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005973:Glutamine / Q000378:metabolism; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced; D007294:Inositol / Q000378:metabolism; D019586:Intracranial Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013654:Taurine / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005973:Glutamine; D013654:Taurine; D007294:Inositol