Indomethacin prevents the increase in urea synthesis capacity and the weight loss after hysterectomy in rats.
Prostaglandins have been suggested to be mediators of post-operative catabolism. Previous studies have shown that stimulation of urea synthesis contributes to post-operative nitrogen loss. The effect of prostaglandins on this hepatic function was assessed in hysterectomized rats on the first post-operative day by measurements of the Capacity of Urea-N Synthesis (CUNS) with and without indomethacin treatment. Hysterectomy increased CUNS by 1 3 and led to a weight loss of 10 g in one day. Indomethacin prevented the increase in CUNS and the post-operative weight loss in operated animals; it also decreased CUNS by 1 3 in control rats. Blood amino-nitrogen concentration of indomethacin treated hysterectomized rats was 1 3 lower than in untreated animals, indicating an even more marked effect of indomethacin on post-operative tissue amino-acid release than on CUNS. Indomethacin exerts a nitrogen sparing effect, possibly depending on normalization of both post-operative hepatic amino-nitrogen conversion and tissue proteolysis. This may be of clinical importance in controlling post-operative catabolism.
Heindorff
H
H
Division of Hepatology, Rigshospitalet A-2152, 9 Blegdamsvej, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
Almdal
T
T
Vilstrup
H
H