title: [Changes in serotonin and noradrenaline in hepatic encephalopathy as a result of liver failure in rat].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the changes in serotonin (5-HT) and noradrenaline (NA) in hepatic encephalopathy as a result of acute and chronic liver failure in rat.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and ten Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into groups of normal control (n=20), experimental group of acute liver failure (ALF) encephalopathy (n=45), and experimental group of chronic liver failure (CLF) encephalopathy (n=45). Two dosages of thioacetamide (TAA) of 500 mg/kg were gavaged with an interval of 24 hours to reproduce ALF model. To reproduce CLF model rats were fed with 0.03% TAA in drinking water for 10 weeks, and 50% of TAA dosage was added or withheld according to the change in weekly body weight measurement. Animals were sacrificed and venous blood specimens were obtained after successful replication of model, and 5-HT, NA, ammonia, parameters of liver function were determined, and liver and brain were studied pathologically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The experiment showed that the liver functions of rats in groups ALF encephalopathy and CLF encephalopathy deteriorated seriously, changes in alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL), albumen (ALB), ALB/globulin (A/G), and blood ammonia were observed(P<0.05 or P<0.01). The clinical manifestations, liver and brain pathologies were identical to those of ALF and CLF encephalopathy. The values of 5-HT were increased in groups ALF encephalopathy and CLF encephalopathy [(16.06+/-1.08) micromol/L and (15.32+/-1.48) micromol/L] compared with the normal group [(2.75+/-0.26) micromol/L, both P<0.01], while the value of NA decreased in the group of CLF encephalopathy [(94.0+/-2.13) pmol/L vs.(121.2+/-14.8) pmol/L,P<0.05].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The levels of 5-HT are elevated in the groups of ALF encephalopathy and CLF encephalopathy. The content of NA decreases remarkably in CLF encephalopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, the 174 th Hospital of PLA, Xiamen 361003, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Min-ning
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Yu-na
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Fu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Mei-lan
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D017093:Liver Failure / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012701:Serotonin / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D012701:Serotonin; D009638:Norepinephrine