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Njei B, Al-Ajlouni YA, Ameyaw P, Njei LP, Boateng S. Role of ammonia and glutamine in the pathogenesis and progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: A systematic review. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2024; 39:1788-1808. [PMID: 38763916 DOI: 10.1111/jgh.16603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) affects over 30% of the global population, with a significant risk of advancing to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The roles of ammonia and glutamine in MASLD's pathogenesis are increasingly recognized, prompting this systematic review. This systematic review was conducted through a meticulous search of literature on December 21, 2023, across five major databases, focusing on studies that addressed the relationship between ammonia or glutamine and MASLD. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using CASP checklists. This study is officially registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42023495619) and was conducted without external funding or sponsorship. Following PRISMA guidelines, 13 studies were included in this review. The studies were conducted globally, with varying sample sizes and study designs. The appraisal indicated a mainly low bias, confirming the reliability of the evidence. Glutamine's involvement in MASLD emerged as multifaceted, with its metabolic role being critical for liver function and disease progression. Variable expressions of glutamine synthetase and glutaminase enzymes highlight metabolic complexity whereas ammonia's impact through urea cycle dysfunction suggests avenues for therapeutic intervention. However, human clinical trials are lacking. This review emphasizes the necessity of glutamine and ammonia in understanding MASLD and identifies potential therapeutic targets. The current evidence, while robust, points to the need for human studies to corroborate preclinical findings. A personalized approach to treatment, informed by metabolic differences in MASLD patients, is advocated, alongside future large-scale clinical trials for a deeper exploration into these metabolic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basile Njei
- International Medicine Program, Section of Digestive Diseases, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | | | - Prince Ameyaw
- Yale Affiliated Hospitals Program, Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA
| | - Lea-Pearl Njei
- University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Sarpong Boateng
- Yale Affiliated Hospitals Program, Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA
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2
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Wu S, Li L, Xi H, Wu X, He Y, Sun X, Wu L. Bibliometrics and knowledge mapping of the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy in patients with liver cirrhosis. Heliyon 2024; 10:e34330. [PMID: 39145014 PMCID: PMC11320160 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 07/06/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatic encephalopathy is a common and serious complication of decompensated cirrhosis. It can considerably contribute to economic burden and impaired quality of life. However, its pathogenesis remains unclear. Method In this study, we aimed to visually analyse the research status and development trends in hepatic encephalopathy pathogenesis using bibliometrics and knowledge mapping. Information regarding publications between 1978 and 2022 were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection. CiteSpace was used to analyse and present data by year, author, institution, country, journal, reference, and keyword. Results A total of 1578 publications on hepatic encephalopathy pathogenesis in patients with cirrhosis were retrieved from Web of Science Core Collection. A gradual increasing trend in annual publications has occurred. The collaborative network analysis results suggest the United States of America, the University of London, and Bajaj, Jasmohan S as the most influential country, institution, and author, respectively, in this research field. Notably, China appeariiuis to be the most promising country. Research on 'hepatology' garners the most significant papers in the field. Combined with reference co-citation and keyword co-occurrence analyses, we found that ammonia metabolism, gut microbiota, sarcopenia, and trace elements will become future research frontiers that are likely to be explored for a considerable length of time. Conclusion Future research directions in HE pathogenesis may target modulating the ammonia metabolism, the gut microbiota, sarcopenia, and trace elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiyan Wu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan Province, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Lu Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan Province, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Heng Xi
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Xiaoping Wu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yumei He
- North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, 623300, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Xiaobin Sun
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Liping Wu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan Province, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, Sichuan Province, China
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Prasad SK, Acharjee A, Singh VV, Trigun SK, Acharjee P. Modulation of brain energy metabolism in hepatic encephalopathy: impact of glucose metabolic dysfunction. Metab Brain Dis 2024:10.1007/s11011-024-01407-7. [PMID: 39120853 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-024-01407-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
Cerebral function is linked to a high level of metabolic activity and relies on glucose as its primary energy source. Glucose aids in the maintenance of physiological brain activities; as a result, a disruption in metabolism has a significant impact on brain function, launching a chain of events that leads to neuronal death. This metabolic insufficiency has been observed in a variety of brain diseases and neuroexcitotoxicity disorders, including hepatic encephalopathy. It is a significant neurological complication that develops in people with liver disease, ranging from asymptomatic abnormalities to coma. Hyperammonemia is the main neurotoxic villain in the development of hepatic encephalopathy and induces a wide range of complications in the brain. The neurotoxic effects of ammonia on brain function are thought to be mediated by impaired glucose metabolism. Accordingly, in this review, we provide an understanding of deranged brain energy metabolism, emphasizing the role of glucose metabolic dysfunction in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy. We also highlighted the differential metabolic profiles of brain cells and the status of metabolic cooperation between them. The major metabolic pathways that have been explored are glycolysis, glycogen metabolism, lactate metabolism, the pentose phosphate pathway, and the Krebs cycle. Furthermore, the lack of efficacy in current hepatic encephalopathy treatment methods highlights the need to investigate potential therapeutic targets for hepatic encephalopathy, with regulating deficient bioenergetics being a viable alternative in this case. This review also demonstrates the importance of the development of glucose metabolism-focused disease diagnostics and treatments, which are now being pursued for many ailments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shambhu Kumar Prasad
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India
| | - Arup Acharjee
- Department of Zoology, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj, 211002, India.
| | - Vishal Vikram Singh
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India
| | - Surendra Kumar Trigun
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India
| | - Papia Acharjee
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India.
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Reichelt S, Merle U, Klauss M, Kahlert C, Lurje G, Mehrabi A, Czigany Z. Shining a spotlight on sarcopenia and myosteatosis in liver disease and liver transplantation: Potentially modifiable risk factors with major clinical impact. Liver Int 2024; 44:1483-1512. [PMID: 38554051 DOI: 10.1111/liv.15917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
Muscle-wasting and disease-related malnutrition are highly prevalent in patients with chronic liver diseases (CLD) as well as in liver transplant (LT) candidates. Alterations of body composition (BC) such as sarcopenia, myosteatosis and sarcopenic obesity and associated clinical frailty were tied to inferior clinical outcomes including hospital admissions, length of stay, complications, mortality and healthcare costs in various patient cohorts and clinical scenarios. In contrast to other inherent detrimental individual characteristics often observed in these complex patients, such as comorbidities or genetic risk, alterations of the skeletal muscle and malnutrition are considered as potentially modifiable risk factors with a major clinical impact. Even so, there is only limited high-level evidence to show how these pathologies should be addressed in the clinical setting. This review discusses the current state-of-the-art on the role of BC assessment in clinical outcomes in the setting of CLD and LT focusing mainly on sarcopenia and myosteatosis. We focus on the disease-related pathophysiology of BC alterations. Based on these, we address potential therapeutic interventions including nutritional regimens, physical activity, hormone and targeted therapies. In addition to summarizing existing knowledge, this review highlights novel trends, and future perspectives and identifies persisting challenges in addressing BC pathologies in a holistic way, aiming to improve outcomes and quality of life of patients with CLD awaiting or undergoing LT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Reichelt
- Department of General, Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Uta Merle
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Miriam Klauss
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christoph Kahlert
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Georg Lurje
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Surgery, Campus Charité Mitte | Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Arianeb Mehrabi
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Zoltan Czigany
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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Anand AC, Acharya SK. The Story of Ammonia in Liver Disease: An Unraveling Continuum. J Clin Exp Hepatol 2024; 14:101361. [PMID: 38444405 PMCID: PMC10910335 DOI: 10.1016/j.jceh.2024.101361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Hyperammonemia and liver disease are closely linked. Most of the ammonia in our body is produced by transamination and deamination activities involving amino acid, purine, pyrimidines, and biogenic amines, and from the intestine by bacterial splitting of urea. The only way of excretion from the body is by hepatic conversion of ammonia to urea. Hyperammonemia is associated with widespread toxicities such as cerebral edema, hepatic encephalopathy, immune dysfunction, promoting fibrosis, and carcinogenesis. Over the past two decades, it has been increasingly utilized for prognostication of cirrhosis, acute liver failure as well as acute on chronic liver failure. The laboratory assessment of hyperammonemia has certain limitations, despite which its value in the assessment of various forms of liver disease cannot be negated. It may soon become an important tool to make therapeutic decisions about the use of prophylactic and definitive treatment in various forms of liver disease.
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Hasumura T, Kinoshita K, Minegishi Y, Ota N. Combination of tea catechins and ornithine effectively activates the urea cycle: an in vitro and human pilot study. Eur J Appl Physiol 2024; 124:827-836. [PMID: 37707596 DOI: 10.1007/s00421-023-05310-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Accumulation of ammonia causes central and peripheral fatigue. This study aimed to investigate the synergistic effect of tea catechins and low-dose ornithine in activating the urea cycle to reduce blood ammonia levels during exercise. METHODS We used hepatocyte-like cells derived from human-induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to assess the effect of tea catechins combined with ornithine on urea cycle activity. The urea production and expression of key genes involved in the metabolism of urea were investigated. We then examined the synergistic improvement in ammonia metabolism by tea catechins in combination with ornithine in a human pilot study. RESULTS Tea catechins combined with ornithine increased urea cycle activity in hepatocyte-like cells derived from human iPS cells. Intake of 538.6 mg of tea catechins with 1592 mg of ornithine for 2 consecutive days during exercise loading suppressed the exercise-induced increase in the blood ammonia concentration as well as stabilized blood glucose levels. CONCLUSION Controlling the levels of ammonia, a toxic waste produced in the body, is important in a variety of situations, including exercise. The present study suggests that a heterogeneous combination of polyphenols and amino acids efficiently suppresses elevated ammonia during exercise in humans by a mechanism that includes urea cycle activation. TRIAL REGISTRATION This study was registered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trial Registry (No. UMIN000035484, dated January 8, 2019).
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Hasumura
- Biological Science Research, Kao Corporation, Haga-gun, Tochigi, 321-3497, Japan
| | - Keita Kinoshita
- Health and Wellness Products Research Laboratories, Kao Corporation, Sumida, Tokyo, 131-8501, Japan
| | - Yoshihiko Minegishi
- Biological Science Research, Kao Corporation, Haga-gun, Tochigi, 321-3497, Japan.
| | - Noriyasu Ota
- Biological Science Research, Kao Corporation, Haga-gun, Tochigi, 321-3497, Japan
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Sakran N, Parmar C, Pouwels S. Nonhepatic hyperammonemic encephalopathy following bariatric surgery: A systematic review. Obes Res Clin Pract 2023; 17:458-467. [PMID: 38007358 DOI: 10.1016/j.orcp.2023.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nonhepatic Hyperammonemic encephalopathy (NHAE) following Bariatric Surgery (BS), mainly Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) and Biliopancreatic Diversion (BPD) is a potentially devastating condition if not diagnosed and managed promptly. METHODS A literature review was performed using PRISMA guidelines. Eighteen studies and 3 conference abstracts with a total of 33 patients were included in this review. RESULTS Majority (28 patients, 84.8 %) had RYGB. Seven patients (21.2 %) had associated metabolic disorders. 60 % of patients presented with neurological symptoms or signs such as confusion, cognitive and/or psychomotor changes, and decreased reflexes. Two patients presented with status epilepticus. In 30 of the 33 patients an elevated serum ammonia levels was reported (90.9 %). The overall mortality was 39.3 %. CONCLUSION NHAE is a rare condition following bariatric surgery (in particular bypass procedures), carrying a high mortality rate. The signs and symptoms are predominantly neurological and may be mistaken for Wernicke's encephalopathy or other more common neurological conditions. Serum ammonia levels should be checked in those who present with these symptoms and signs. Prompt treatment might be life saving in patients with NHAE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasser Sakran
- Department of Surgery, Holy Family Hospital, Nazareth, Israel, and the Azrieli, Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Chetan Parmar
- Department of Surgery, Whittington Health NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sjaak Pouwels
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Elisabeth-Tweesteden Hospital, Tilburg, the Netherlands; Department of General, Abdominal Surgery and Coloproctology, Helios St. Elisabeth Klinik, Oberhausen, NRW, Germany; Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany.
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8
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Balzano T, Llansola M, Arenas YM, Izquierdo-Altarejos P, Felipo V. Hepatic encephalopathy: investigational drugs in preclinical and early phase development. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2023; 32:1055-1069. [PMID: 37902074 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2023.2277386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neuropsychiatric syndrome, in patients with liver disease, which affects life quality and span. Current treatments are lactulose or rifaximin, acting on gut microbiota. Treatments aiming ammonia levels reduction have been tested with little success. AREAS COVERED Pre-clinical research shows that the process inducing HE involves sequentially: liver failure, altered microbiome, hyperammonemia, peripheral inflammation, changes in immunophenotype and extracellular vesicles and neuroinflammation, which alters neurotransmission impairing cognitive and motor function. HE may be reversed using drugs acting at any step: modulating microbiota with probiotics or fecal transplantation; reducing peripheral inflammation with anti-TNFα, autotaxin inhibitors or silymarin; reducing neuroinflammation with sulforaphane, p38 MAP kinase or phosphodiesteras 5 inhibitors, antagonists of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2, enhancing meningeal lymphatic drainage or with extracellular vesicles from mesenchymal stem cells; reducing GABAergic neurotransmission with indomethacin or golexanolone. EXPERT OPINION A factor limiting the progress of HE treatment is the lack of translation of research advances into clinical trials. Only drugs acting on microbiota or ammonia reduction have been tested in patients. It is urgent to change the mentality on how to approach HE treatment to develop clinical trials to assess drugs acting on the immune system/peripheral inflammation, neuroinflammation or neurotransmission to improve HE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiziano Balzano
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, Valencia, Spain
- HM CINAC (Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal), Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, HM Hospitales, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Llansola
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, Valencia, Spain
| | - Yaiza M Arenas
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, Valencia, Spain
- Departamento de Patología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Vicente Felipo
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, Valencia, Spain
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Zhang M, Fan Y, Jiang H, Shao J, Li M. Establishment of hyperammonemia mode in yellow catfish and the mitigation of exogenous L-ornithine-L-aspartate. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2022; 135:104487. [PMID: 35803415 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2022.104487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Ammonia stress can lead to fish ammonia poisoning. The l-ornithine-l-aspartate (LoLa) has potential value in treating fish hyperammonemia. This study tried to establish a hyperammonemia mode of yellow catfish, which was used to evaluate the effect of LoLa on hyperammonemia. Fish were injected with ammonium acetate and sodium chloride for 3 d to establish model, respectively. Then ammonium acetate group was divided into two groups: one group was further injected with ammonium acetate, another group was injected with LoLa. Sodium chloride group was also divided into two groups: one group was further injected with sodium chloride, another group was injected with LoLa. The experiment continued for 96 h. The results showed that ammonia poisoning could induce serum ammonia content elevated, liver damage (serum aminotransferase activity elevated and liver malondialdehyde accumulation), and up-regulation of cytokine (IL 1, IL 8 and TNFɑ), apoptosis (P53, Bax, Cytochrome c, Caspase 3 and Caspase 9) and autophagy (Dynein, Beclin 1, AKT and PTEN) genes transcription, but LoLa could mitigate the adverse effect of ammonia poisoning. Our results suggesting that LoLa can detoxify ammonia into glutamine and stores it in muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muzi Zhang
- Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction in the Plateau Mountainous Region (Ministry of Education), Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Yuwen Fan
- School of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China
| | - Haibo Jiang
- Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction in the Plateau Mountainous Region (Ministry of Education), Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China.
| | - Jian Shao
- Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction in the Plateau Mountainous Region (Ministry of Education), Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Ming Li
- School of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China.
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Oliveira MM, Monnet-Aimard A, Bosoi CR, Tremblay M, Rose CF. Sex is associated with differences in oxidative stress and susceptibility to severe hepatic encephalopathy in bile-duct ligated rats. J Neurochem 2022; 162:337-351. [PMID: 35771118 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a debilitating neurological complication of chronic liver disease (CLD). Hyperammonemia plays an important role in HE's pathogenesis, acting synergistically with systemic oxidative stress. During CLD, muscle plays a compensatory role in detoxifying ammonia, and therefore muscle loss leads to an increase in the risk of developing HE. With most animal studies involving males, sex's impact on the development of CLD and associated complications such as HE and muscle loss remains unknown. Therefore, we aimed to identify the impact of sex on CLD, HE, and muscle mass loss in a rodent model of CLD. Liver injury markers, hyperammonemia, oxidative stress, muscle mass and ammonia clearance were measured in female and male bile-duct ligated (BDL) rats. In addition, covert HE was assessed in females while ammonia-precipitated severe HE was assessed in female and male BDL rats, and male BDL rats treated with allopurinol (100mg/kg), an antioxidant (xanthine oxidase inhibitor). Female BDL developed CLD and HE (impaired motor-coordination and night activity) compared to respective SHAM. Hyperammonemia and muscle ammonia clearance were similar between female and male BDL. However, only female BDL rats did not develop muscle loss, brain edema, and short-term memory impairment (vs. female SHAM) and systemic oxidative stress and decreased albumin levels (vs. male BDL). Furthermore, both female BDL and allopurinol-treated male BDL rats were protected against ammonia-induced overt HE. In conclusion, female and male BDL rats develop distinct features of CLD and HE, with systemic oxidative stress playing a pivotal role in the susceptibility to ammonia precipitated overt HE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana M Oliveira
- Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Alexis Monnet-Aimard
- Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, Équipe inVibe, Université Aix-Marseille, France
| | - Cristina R Bosoi
- Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Mélanie Tremblay
- Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Christopher F Rose
- Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
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Kroupina K, Bémeur C, Rose CF. Amino acids, ammonia, and hepatic encephalopathy. Anal Biochem 2022; 649:114696. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2022.114696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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12
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Khanam A, Kottilil S. Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure: Pathophysiological Mechanisms and Management. Front Med (Lausanne) 2021; 8:752875. [PMID: 34820395 PMCID: PMC8606418 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.752875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a multifaceted condition with poor treatment options and high short-term mortality. ACLF can develop in patients with or without liver cirrhosis, where patients with decompensated cirrhosis display a higher risk of short-term mortality. Pathophysiological mechanisms include systemic inflammation due to bacterial and fungal infections and acute hepatic insult with drug, alcohol, and viral hepatitis. Cryptogenic factors also contribute to the development of ACLF. The clinical outcome of patients with ACLF gets further complicated by the occurrence of variceal hemorrhage, hepatorenal syndrome, hepatic encephalopathy, and systemic immune dysfunction. Regardless of the better understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms, no specific and definitive treatment is available except for liver transplantation. The recent approach of regenerative medicine using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could be advantageous for the treatment of ACLF as these cells can downregulate inflammatory response by inducing antiinflammatory events and prevent hepatic damage and fibrosis by inhibiting hepatic stellate cell activation and collagen synthesis. Moreover, MSCs are involved in tissue repair by the process of liver regeneration. Considering the broad therapeutic potential of MSCs, it can serve as an alternative treatment to liver transplant in the near future, if promising results are achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arshi Khanam
- Division of Clinical Care and Research, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Shyam Kottilil
- Division of Clinical Care and Research, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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13
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Grüngreiff K, Gottstein T, Reinhold D, Blindauer CA. Albumin Substitution in Decompensated Liver Cirrhosis: Don't Forget Zinc. Nutrients 2021; 13:4011. [PMID: 34836265 PMCID: PMC8618355 DOI: 10.3390/nu13114011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Decompensated liver cirrhosis has a dismal prognosis, with patients surviving on average for 2-4 years after the first diagnosis of ascites. Albumin is an important tool in the therapy of cirrhotic ascites. By virtue of its oncotic properties, it reduces the risk of cardiovascular dysfunction after paracentesis. Treatment with albumin also counteracts the development of hepatorenal syndrome and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. More recently, the positive impact of long-term albumin supplementation in liver disease, based on its pleiotropic non-oncotic activities, has been recognized. These include transport of endo- and exogenous substances, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities, and stabilizing effects on the endothelium. Besides the growing recognition that effective albumin therapy requires adjustment of the plasma level to normal physiological values, the search for substances with adjuvant activities is becoming increasingly important. More than 75% of patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis do not only present with hypoalbuminemia but also with zinc deficiency. There is a close relationship between albumin and the essential trace element zinc. First and foremost, albumin is the main carrier of zinc in plasma, and is hence critical for systemic distribution of zinc. In this review, we discuss important functions of albumin in the context of metabolic, immunological, oxidative, transport, and distribution processes, alongside crucial functions and effects of zinc and their mutual dependencies. In particular, we focus on the major role of chronic inflammatory processes in pathogenesis and progression of liver cirrhosis and how albumin therapy and zinc supplementation may affect these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt Grüngreiff
- Clinic of Gastroenterology, City Hospital Magdeburg GmbH, 39130 Magdeburg, Germany;
| | - Thomas Gottstein
- Clinic of Gastroenterology, City Hospital Magdeburg GmbH, 39130 Magdeburg, Germany;
| | - Dirk Reinhold
- Medical Faculty, Institute of Molecular and Clinical Immunology, Otto-von-Guericke-University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany;
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Altered motor cortical plasticity in patients with hepatic encephalopathy: A paired associative stimulation study. Clin Neurophysiol 2021; 132:2332-2341. [PMID: 34454259 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2021.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a potentially reversible brain dysfunction caused by liver failure. Altered synaptic plasticity is supposed to play a major role in the pathophysiology of HE. Here, we used paired associative stimulation with an inter-stimulus interval of 25 ms (PAS25), a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocol, to test synaptic plasticity of the motor cortex in patients with manifest HE. METHODS 23 HE-patients and 23 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitudes were assessed as measure for cortical excitability. Time courses of MEP amplitude changes after the PAS25 intervention were compared between both groups. RESULTS MEP-amplitudes increased after PAS25 in the control group, indicating PAS25-induced synaptic plasticity in healthy controls, as expected. In contrast, MEP-amplitudes within the HE group did not change and were lower than in the control group, indicating no induction of plasticity. CONCLUSIONS Our study revealed reduced synaptic plasticity of the primary motor cortex in HE. SIGNIFICANCE Reduced synaptic plasticity in HE provides a link between pathological changes on the molecular level and early clinical symptoms of the disease. This decrease may be caused by disturbances in the glutamatergic neurotransmission due to the known hyperammonemia in HE patients.
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15
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Ochoa-Sanchez R, Oliveira MM, Tremblay M, Petrazzo G, Pant A, Bosoi CR, Perreault M, Querbes W, Kurtz CB, Rose CF. Genetically engineered E. coli Nissle attenuates hyperammonemia and prevents memory impairment in bile-duct ligated rats. Liver Int 2021; 41:1020-1032. [PMID: 33548108 DOI: 10.1111/liv.14815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Hyperammonemia associated with chronic liver disease (CLD) is implicated in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy (HE). The gut is a major source of ammonia production that contributes to hyperammonemia in CLD and HE and remains the primary therapeutic target for lowering hyperammonemia. As an ammonia-lowering strategy, Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 bacterium was genetically modified to consume and convert ammonia to arginine (S-ARG). S-ARG was further modified to additionally synthesize butyrate (S-ARG + BUT). Both strains were evaluated in bile-duct ligated (BDL) rats; experimental model of CLD and HE. METHODS One-week post-surgery, BDLs received non-modified EcN (EcN), S-ARG, S-ARG + BUT (3x1011 CFU/day) or vehicle until sacrifice at 3 or 5 weeks. Plasma (ammonia/pro-inflammatory/liver function), liver fibrosis (hydroxyproline), liver mRNA (pro-inflammatory/fibrogenic/anti-apoptotic) and colon mRNA (pro-inflammatory) biomarkers were measured post-sacrifice. Memory, motor-coordination, muscle-strength and locomotion were assessed at 5 weeks. RESULTS In BDL-Veh rats, hyperammonemia developed at 3 and further increased at 5 weeks. This rise was prevented by S-ARG and S-ARG + BUT, whereas EcN was ineffective. Memory impairment was prevented only in S-ARG + BUT vs BDL-Veh. Systemic inflammation (IL-10/MCP-1/endotoxin) increased at 3 and 5 weeks in BDL-Veh. S-ARG + BUT attenuated inflammation at both timepoints (except 5-week endotoxin) vs BDL-Veh, whereas S-ARG only attenuated IP-10 and MCP-1 at 3 weeks. Circulating ALT/AST/ALP/GGT/albumin/bilirubin and gene expression of liver function markers (IL-10/IL-6/IL-1β/TGF-β/α-SMA/collagen-1α1/Bcl-2) were not normalized by either strain. Colonic mRNA (TNF-α/IL-1β/occludin) markers were attenuated by synthetic strains at both timepoints vs BDL-Veh. CONCLUSION S-ARG and S-ARG + BUT attenuated hyperammonemia, with S-ARG + BUT additional memory protection likely due to greater anti-inflammatory effect. These innovative strategies, particularly S-ARG + BUT, have potential to prevent HE.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mariana M Oliveira
- Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Mélanie Tremblay
- Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Grégory Petrazzo
- Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | | | - Cristina R Bosoi
- Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Christopher F Rose
- Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
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Yang YJ, Kim DJ. An Overview of the Molecular Mechanisms Contributing to Musculoskeletal Disorders in Chronic Liver Disease: Osteoporosis, Sarcopenia, and Osteoporotic Sarcopenia. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22052604. [PMID: 33807573 PMCID: PMC7961345 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22052604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of osteoporosis and sarcopenia is significantly higher in patients with liver disease than in those without liver disease and osteoporosis and sarcopenia negatively influence morbidity and mortality in liver disease, yet these musculoskeletal disorders are frequently overlooked in clinical practice for patients with chronic liver disease. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms of musculoskeletal disorders accompanying the pathogenesis of liver disease. The increased bone resorption through the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa (RANK)-RANK ligand (RANKL)-osteoprotegerin (OPG) system and upregulation of inflammatory cytokines and decreased bone formation through increased bilirubin and sclerostin and lower insulin-like growth factor-1 are important mechanisms for osteoporosis in patients with liver disease. Sarcopenia is associated with insulin resistance and obesity in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, whereas hyperammonemia, low amount of branched chain amino acids, and hypogonadism contributes to sarcopenia in liver cirrhosis. The bidirectional crosstalk between muscle and bone through myostatin, irisin, β-aminoisobutyric acid (BAIBA), osteocalcin, as well as the activation of the RANK and the Wnt/β-catenin pathways are associated with osteosarcopenia. The increased understandings for these musculoskeletal disorders would be contributes to the development of effective therapies targeting the pathophysiological mechanism involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Joo Yang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University College of Medicine, Gangwon-do, Chuncheon 24252, Korea;
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Diseases, Hallym University, Gangwon-do, Chuncheon 24253, Korea
| | - Dong Joon Kim
- Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University College of Medicine, Gangwon-do, Chuncheon 24252, Korea;
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Diseases, Hallym University, Gangwon-do, Chuncheon 24253, Korea
- Correspondence:
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Allen SL, Quinlan JI, Dhaliwal A, Armstrong MJ, Elsharkawy AM, Greig CA, Lord JM, Lavery GG, Breen L. Sarcopenia in chronic liver disease: mechanisms and countermeasures. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2021; 320:G241-G257. [PMID: 33236953 PMCID: PMC8609568 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00373.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Sarcopenia, a condition of low muscle mass, quality, and strength, is commonly found in patients with cirrhosis and is associated with adverse clinical outcomes including reduction in quality of life, increased mortality, and posttransplant complications. In chronic liver disease (CLD), sarcopenia is most commonly defined through the measurement of the skeletal muscle index of the third lumbar spine. A major contributor to sarcopenia in CLD is the imbalance in muscle protein turnover, which likely occurs due to a decrease in muscle protein synthesis and an elevation in muscle protein breakdown. This imbalance is assumed to arise due to several factors including accelerated starvation, hyperammonemia, amino acid deprivation, chronic inflammation, excessive alcohol intake, and physical inactivity. In particular, hyperammonemia is a key mediator of the liver-gut axis and is known to contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction and an increase in myostatin expression. Currently, the use of nutritional interventions such as late-evening snacks, branched-chain amino acid supplementation, and physical activity have been proposed to help the management and treatment of sarcopenia. However, little evidence exists to comprehensively support their use in clinical settings. Several new pharmacological strategies, including myostatin inhibition and the nutraceutical Urolithin A, have recently been proposed to treat age-related sarcopenia and may also be of use in CLD. This review highlights the potential molecular mechanisms contributing to sarcopenia in CLD alongside a discussion of existing and potential new treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie L. Allen
- 1School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom,2National Institute for Health Research, Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan I. Quinlan
- 1School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom,2National Institute for Health Research, Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Amritpal Dhaliwal
- 2National Institute for Health Research, Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom,3Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom,4Liver Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew J. Armstrong
- 2National Institute for Health Research, Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom,4Liver Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ahmed M. Elsharkawy
- 2National Institute for Health Research, Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom,3Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom,4Liver Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Carolyn A. Greig
- 1School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom,2National Institute for Health Research, Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom,5MRC-Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Janet M. Lord
- 2National Institute for Health Research, Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom,3Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom,5MRC-Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Gareth G. Lavery
- 2National Institute for Health Research, Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom,6Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom,7Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partner, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Leigh Breen
- 1School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom,2National Institute for Health Research, Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom,5MRC-Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Abstract
AIM The aim of this study was to determine whether oral L-carnitine administration reduces the blood ammonia concentration and number of hospital admissions for hepatic encephalopathy in patients with advanced cirrhosis. METHODS Of 68 patients with hepatic encephalopathy treated with oral L-carnitine supplementation from April 2013 to March 2016, we enrolled 19 patients who had received full standard treatment. We analyzed blood ammonia concentration, number of hospital admissions, and prognosis to determine how effective L-carnitine was in achieving mid-term to long-term suppression of recurrent hepatic encephalopathy. RESULTS Median blood ammonia concentrations at the start, 1 week, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, and 48 weeks were 159, 79, 75, and 82 μg/dL, respectively. Blood ammonia concentrations 12 week, 24 weeks, and 48 weeks after L-carnitine administration were significantly lower than those at the start (P < 0.0001, respectively). During the 3 years prior to oral L-carnitine administration, the enrolled patients were hospitalized a total of 29 times for hepatic encephalopathy. However, during the 3 years following oral L-carnitine administration, they were admitted a total of six times for hepatic encephalopathy (P < 0.001). Median survival time was 40.9 months. Child-Pugh scores before and after oral L-carnitine administration differed significantly, whereas liver reserve function, nutritional status, and muscle index did not change significantly. CONCLUSIONS Oral L-carnitine administration is effective and free of adverse effects in patients with hyperammonemia and reduces the number of hospital admissions for hepatic encephalopathy.
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19
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Chen Z, Ruan J, Li D, Wang M, Han Z, Qiu W, Wu G. The Role of Intestinal Bacteria and Gut-Brain Axis in Hepatic Encephalopathy. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 10:595759. [PMID: 33553004 PMCID: PMC7859631 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.595759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neurological disorder that occurs in patients with liver insufficiency. However, its pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. Pharmacotherapy is the main therapeutic option for HE. It targets the pathogenesis of HE by reducing ammonia levels, improving neurotransmitter signal transduction, and modulating intestinal microbiota. Compared to healthy individuals, the intestinal microbiota of patients with liver disease is significantly different and is associated with the occurrence of HE. Moreover, intestinal microbiota is closely associated with multiple links in the pathogenesis of HE, including the theory of ammonia intoxication, bile acid circulation, GABA-ergic tone hypothesis, and neuroinflammation, which contribute to cognitive and motor disorders in patients. Restoring the homeostasis of intestinal bacteria or providing specific probiotics has significant effects on neurological disorders in HE. Therefore, this review aims at elucidating the potential microbial mechanisms and metabolic effects in the progression of HE through the gut-brain axis and its potential role as a therapeutic target in HE.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Guobin Wu
- Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, China
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20
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Noroozi B, Hadi A, Shahrami B, Ardabili A, Yoonesi F, Emami K, Sharifnia H, Mojtahedzadeh M. Sepsis-Associated Cholestasis: The Impact of Mitochondrial Dysfunction (A Case Report). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021. [DOI: 10.37319/iqnjm.3.1.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Hyperbilirubinemia – a condition of elevated serum bilirubin above the reference
range, is common in hospitalized patients. The reasons for the increase in the bilirubin level can
be pre-hepatic, hepatic, and post-hepatic. Sepsis is one of the most important causes of
hyperbilirubinemia in critically ill patients.
Case report: We present a 30-year-old woman with no past medical and drug history who was
admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) due to multiple trauma and fractures due to a fall from
height. During the ICU stay, the patient developed jaundice with a high increase in the bilirubin
level. A diagnosis of sepsis-associated cholestasis was considered after ruling out other possible
pathologies. The hyperbilirubinemia improved with the early management of sepsis concomitant
supportive medical therapy.
Conclusion: Early recognition and treatment of sepsis as a cause of cholestasis should be
considered in ICU patients. Drugs targeting mitochondrial function would provide rapid hepatic
recovery reducing complications and mortality.
Keywords: Cholestasis, Critical illness, Hyperbilirubinemia, Liver failure, Sepsis
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Affiliation(s)
- Behzad Noroozi
- Clinical Pharmacy Department, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Hadi
- Clinical Pharmacy Department, College of Pharmacy, University of Basra, Basra, Iraq
| | - Bita Shahrami
- Clinical Pharmacy Department, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ayda Ardabili
- Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Department, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Yoonesi
- Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Department, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Kaveh Emami
- Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Department, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid Sharifnia
- Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Department, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Rose CF, Amodio P, Bajaj JS, Dhiman RK, Montagnese S, Taylor-Robinson SD, Vilstrup H, Jalan R. Hepatic encephalopathy: Novel insights into classification, pathophysiology and therapy. J Hepatol 2020; 73:1526-1547. [PMID: 33097308 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2020.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 204] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a frequent and serious complication of both chronic liver disease and acute liver failure. HE manifests as a wide spectrum of neuropsychiatric abnormalities, from subclinical changes (mild cognitive impairment) to marked disorientation, confusion and coma. The clinical and economic burden of HE is considerable, and it contributes greatly to impaired quality of life, morbidity and mortality. This review will critically discuss the latest classification of HE, as well as the pathogenesis and pathophysiological pathways underlying the neurological decline in patients with end-stage liver disease. In addition, management strategies, diagnostic approaches, currently available therapeutic options and novel treatment strategies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher F Rose
- Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Piero Amodio
- Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Jasmohan S Bajaj
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Virginia Commonwealth University and McGuire VA Medical Center, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Radha Krishan Dhiman
- Department of Hepatology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | | | - Simon D Taylor-Robinson
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, St. Mary's Hospital Campus, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hendrik Vilstrup
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Rajiv Jalan
- Liver Failure Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, United Kingdom; European Foundation for the Study of Chronic Liver Failure, Barcelona, Spain.
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Peculiarities of ammonia metabolism in the liver of rats under the conditions of different nutrients content in a diet. UKRAINIAN BIOCHEMICAL JOURNAL 2020. [DOI: 10.15407/ubj92.04.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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23
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Effect of Resveratrol on Thioacetamide-induced Liver Damage in Rat Models. HEPATITIS MONTHLY 2020. [DOI: 10.5812/hepatmon.103902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/13/2023]
Abstract
Background: The current treatments of liver diseases are not sufficiently effective, and there has been no therapy that can successfully prevent liver failure and its complications. Previous studies have suggested that resveratrol could inhibit the progression of hepatic diseases based on its antioxidative and anti-inflammatory potentials. Objectives: The present study evaluated the hepato-protective effects of resveratrol in thioacetamide (TAA)-induced acute liver damage in rats using neurobehavioral and biochemical parameters. Methods: Forty-eight healthy adult Wistar rats were divided into four groups: C1: healthy control group, C2: non-treated liver failure, E1: liver failure treated with resveratrol 5 mg/kg/day, and E2: liver failure treated with resveratrol 10 mg/kg/day. Aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT), alkaline phosphatase (Alk), total bilirubin (TB), and plasma-ammonia (NH4) were analyzed, and histopathological evaluations of the specimens were carried out after sacrificing the models. Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) grading, open-field, elevated plus arms, and forced-swimming tests were performed in the study. Results: The resveratrol-treated groups had lower serum concentrations of NH4, ALT, and AST than the C2 group (P < 0.05). The pathological evaluations demonstrated that resveratrol-treated groups had better outcomes in inflammatory cell infiltration, apoptosis, vacuolization, liver tissue necrosis, and liver damage stage than the C2 group (P < 0.05). They also showed lower grades of HE, higher locomotor activity (open-field test), and diminished levels of depression (forced-swimming) when compared to the C2 group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Resveratrol supplementation can improve liver damage as AST, ALT, NH4, and tissue damages were decreased after administering the agent in TAA-induced liver damage. Resveratrol can also improve the neurobehavioral manifestations in animal models of liver failure.
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Survival and Neurologic Recovery After Prompt Diagnosis and Aggressive Management of Severe Idiopathic Hyperammonemic Encephalopathy in a Patient with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2020; 42:e452-e455. [PMID: 31415019 DOI: 10.1097/mph.0000000000001579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
A case of a 19-year-old female with low-risk acute myeloid leukemia is presented who was diagnosed with idiopathic hyperammonemic encephalopathy following the development of abrupt neurologic decline, respiratory alkalosis, and elevated plasma ammonia levels of unknown etiology. Delayed symptom recognition of this exceedingly rare condition contributes to the often fatal outcomes of idiopathic hyperammonemic encephalopathy. As illustrated by this case, prompt diagnosis and utilization of a variety of ammonia-modulating treatment modalities can result in remarkable clinical recovery. This case provides guidance to clinicians in counseling families about the possibility of neurologic recovery in similar clinical scenarios.
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KASL clinical practice guidelines for liver cirrhosis: Varices, hepatic encephalopathy, and related complications. Clin Mol Hepatol 2020; 26:83-127. [PMID: 31918536 PMCID: PMC7160350 DOI: 10.3350/cmh.2019.0010n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
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Ahmadi S, Khaledi S. Anxiety in rats with bile duct ligation is associated with activation of JNK3 mitogen-activated protein kinase in the hippocampus. Metab Brain Dis 2020; 35:579-588. [PMID: 32052257 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-020-00542-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
We examine the anxiety-like behaviors in rats with bile duct ligation (BDL), as well as its relationship with the expression of JNK3 and P38 MAPKs in rat hippocampus. Male Wistar rats undergo either sham operation or BDL as a rat model of cirrhotic HE. The anxiety-like behaviors are determined using a light/dark box test two hours befor the surgery on day 1 and on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 of BDL. The gene and protein expression levels of JNK3 and p38 in the hippocampus were examined respectively with qPCR and western blotting methods on day 28 of BDL. The results revealed that anxiety was increased in the cirrhotic HE model rats during 28 days of BDL. The molecular data indicated that the gene expression of Jnk3 and protein levels of JNK3, as well as phospho-JNK3, significantly increased in the hippocampus of the cirrhotic HE model rats compared to the sham control group. However, the results revealed no significant changes in the gene expression and the protein levels of p38 as well as phospho-p38 in the hippocampus of the cirrhotic HE model rats compared to the sham control group. We conclude that the increases in the expression and activation of JNK3 MAPK in the hippocampus may underlie, at least partly, the anxiety-like behaviors in rats with cirrhotic HE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shamseddin Ahmadi
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, University of Kurdistan, P.O. Box 416, Sanandaj, Iran.
| | - Shiler Khaledi
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, University of Kurdistan, P.O. Box 416, Sanandaj, Iran
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Sepehrinezhad A, Zarifkar A, Namvar G, Shahbazi A, Williams R. Astrocyte swelling in hepatic encephalopathy: molecular perspective of cytotoxic edema. Metab Brain Dis 2020; 35:559-578. [PMID: 32146658 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-020-00549-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) may occur in patients with liver failure. The most critical pathophysiologic mechanism of HE is cerebral edema following systemic hyperammonemia. The dysfunctional liver cannot eliminate circulatory ammonia, so its plasma and brain levels rise sharply. Astrocytes, the only cells that are responsible for ammonia detoxification in the brain, are dynamic cells with unique phenotypic properties that enable them to respond to small changes in their environment. Any pathological changes in astrocytes may cause neurological disturbances such as HE. Astrocyte swelling is the leading cause of cerebral edema, which may cause brain herniation and death by increasing intracranial pressure. Various factors may have a role in astrocyte swelling. However, the exact molecular mechanism of astrocyte swelling is not fully understood. This article discusses the possible mechanisms of astrocyte swelling which related to hyperammonia, including the possible roles of molecules like glutamine, lactate, aquaporin-4 water channel, 18 KDa translocator protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein, alanine, glutathione, toll-like receptor 4, epidermal growth factor receptor, glutamate, and manganese, as well as inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial permeability transition, ATP depletion, and astrocyte senescence. All these agents and factors may be targeted in therapeutic approaches to HE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Sepehrinezhad
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Asadollah Zarifkar
- Shiraz Neuroscience Research Center and Department of Physiology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS), Shiraz, Iran
| | - Gholamreza Namvar
- Department of Neuroscience and Cognition, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Ali Shahbazi
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran.
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran.
| | - Roger Williams
- The Institute of Hepatology London and Foundation for Liver Research, 111 Coldharbour Lane, London, SE5 9NT, UK.
- Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, London, UK.
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Hendrikx L, Brandts H, van Borren M, de Boer H. Recurrent Hyperammonemia During Enteral Tube Feeding for Severe Protein Malnutrition After Bariatric Surgery. Obes Surg 2019; 29:4127-4130. [DOI: 10.1007/s11695-019-04231-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Zacharias HD, Zacharias AP, Gluud LL, Morgan MY. Pharmacotherapies that specifically target ammonia for the prevention and treatment of hepatic encephalopathy in adults with cirrhosis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2019; 6:CD012334. [PMID: 31204790 PMCID: PMC6572872 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd012334.pub2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatic encephalopathy is a common complication of cirrhosis, with high related morbidity and mortality. Its presence is associated with a wide spectrum of change ranging from clinically obvious neuropsychiatric features, known as 'overt' hepatic encephalopathy, to abnormalities manifest only on psychometric or electrophysiological testing, 'minimal' hepatic encephalopathy. The exact pathogenesis of the syndrome is unknown but ammonia plays a key role. Drugs that specifically target ammonia include sodium benzoate, glycerol phenylbutyrate, ornithine phenylacetate, AST-120 (spherical carbon adsorbent), and polyethylene glycol. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the beneficial and harmful effects of pharmacotherapies that specifically target ammonia versus placebo, no intervention, or other active interventions, for the prevention and treatment of hepatic encephalopathy in people with cirrhosis. SEARCH METHODS We searched the Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Controlled Trials Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and three other databases to March 2019. We also searched online trials registries such as ClinicalTrials.gov, European Medicines Agency, WHO International Clinical Trial Registry Platform, and the Food and Drug Administration for ongoing or unpublished trials. In addition, we searched conference proceedings, checked bibliographies, and corresponded with investigators. SELECTION CRITERIA We included randomised clinical trials comparing sodium benzoate, glycerol phenylbutyrate, ornithine phenylacetate, AST-120, and polyethylene glycol versus placebo or non-absorbable disaccharides, irrespective of blinding, language, or publication status. We included participants with minimal or overt hepatic encephalopathy or participants who were at risk of developing hepatic encephalopathy. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors independently extracted data from the included reports. The primary outcomes were mortality, hepatic encephalopathy, and serious adverse events. We undertook meta-analyses and presented results using risk ratios (RR) or mean differences (MD), both with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and I2 statistic values as a marker of heterogeneity. We assessed bias control using the Cochrane Hepato-Biliary domains and the certainty of the evidence using GRADE. MAIN RESULTS We identified 11 randomised clinical trials that fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Two trials evaluated the prevention of hepatic encephalopathy while nine evaluated the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy. The trials assessed sodium benzoate (three trials), glycerol phenylbutyrate (one trial), ornithine phenylacetate (two trials), AST-120 (two trials), and polyethylene glycol (three trials). Overall, 499 participants received these pharmacotherapies while 444 participants received a placebo preparation or a non-absorbable disaccharide. We classified eight of the 11 trials as at 'high risk of bias' and downgraded the certainty of the evidence to very low for all outcomes.Eleven trials, involving 943 participants, reported mortality data, although there were no events in five trials. Our analyses found no beneficial or harmful effects of sodium benzoate versus non-absorbable disaccharides (RR 1.26, 95% CI 0.49 to 3.28; 101 participants; 2 trials; I2 = 0%), glycerol phenylbutyrate versus placebo (RR 0.65, 95% CI 0.11 to 3.81; 178 participants; 1 trial), ornithine phenylacetate versus placebo (RR 0.73, 95% CI 0.35 to 1.51; 269 participants; 2 trials; I2 = 0%), AST-120 versus lactulose (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.59 to 1.85; 41 participants; 1 trial), or polyethylene glycol versus lactulose (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.09 to 2.64; 190 participants; 3 trials; I2 = 0%).Seven trials involving 521 participants reported data on hepatic encephalopathy. Our analyses showed a beneficial effect of glycerol phenylbutyrate versus placebo (RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.36 to 0.90; 178 participants; 1 trial; number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome (NNTB) 6), and of polyethylene glycol versus lactulose (RR 0.19, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.44; 190 participants; 3 trials; NNTB 4). We did not observe beneficial effects in the remaining three trials with extractable data: sodium benzoate versus non-absorbable disaccharides (RR 1.22, 95% CI 0.51 to 2.93; 74 participants; 1 trial); ornithine phenylacetate versus placebo (RR 2.71, 95% CI 0.12 to 62.70; 38 participants; 1 trial); or AST-120 versus lactulose (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.59 to 1.85; 41 participants; 1 trial).Ten trials, involving 790 participants, reported a total of 130 serious adverse events. Our analyses found no evidence of beneficial or harmful effects of sodium benzoate versus non-absorbable disaccharides (RR 1.08, 95% CI 0.44 to 2.68; 101 participants; 2 trials), glycerol phenylbutyrate versus placebo (RR 1.63, 95% CI 0.85 to 3.13; 178 participants; 1 trial), ornithine phenylacetate versus placebo (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.36; 264 participants; 2 trials; I2 = 0%), or polyethylene glycol versus lactulose (RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.18 to 1.82; 190 participants; 3 trials; I2 = 0%). Likewise, eight trials, involving 782 participants, reported a total of 374 non-serious adverse events and again our analyses found no beneficial or harmful effects of the pharmacotherapies under review when compared to placebo or to lactulose/lactitol.Nine trials, involving 733 participants, reported data on blood ammonia. We observed significant reductions in blood ammonia in placebo-controlled trials evaluating sodium benzoate (MD -32.00, 95% CI -46.85 to -17.15; 16 participants; 1 trial), glycerol phenylbutyrate (MD -12.00, 95% CI -23.37 to -0.63; 178 participants; 1 trial), ornithine phenylacetate (MD -27.10, 95% CI -48.55 to -5.65; 231 participants; 1 trial), and AST-120 (MD -22.00, 95% CI -26.75 to -17.25; 98 participants; 1 trial). However, there were no significant differences in blood ammonia concentrations in comparison with lactulose/lactitol with sodium benzoate (MD 9.00, 95% CI -1.10 to 19.11; 85 participants; 2 trials; I2 = 0%), AST-120 (MD 5.20, 95% CI -2.75 to 13.15; 35 participants; 1 trial), and polyethylene glycol (MD -29.28, 95% CI -95.96 to 37.39; 90 participants; 2 trials; I2 = 88%). FUNDING Five trials received support from pharmaceutical companies while four did not; two did not provide this information. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS There is insufficient evidence to determine the effects of these pharmacotherapies on the prevention and treatment of hepatic encephalopathy in adults with cirrhosis. They have the potential to reduce blood ammonia concentrations when compared to placebo, but their overall effects on clinical outcomes of interest and the potential harms associated with their use remain uncertain. Further evidence is needed to evaluate the potential beneficial and harmful effects of these pharmacotherapies in this clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry D Zacharias
- Division of Medicine, Royal Free Campus, University College LondonUCL Institute for Liver & Digestive HealthLondonUKNW3 2PF
| | - Antony P Zacharias
- Division of Medicine, Royal Free Campus, University College LondonUCL Institute for Liver & Digestive HealthLondonUKNW3 2PF
| | - Lise Lotte Gluud
- Copenhagen University Hospital HvidovreGastrounit, Medical DivisionKettegaards Alle 30HvidovreDenmark2650
| | - Marsha Y Morgan
- Division of Medicine, Royal Free Campus, University College LondonUCL Institute for Liver & Digestive HealthLondonUKNW3 2PF
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Golshani M, Basiri M, Shabani M, Aghaei I, Asadi-Shekaari M. Effects of erythropoietin on bile duct ligation-induced neuro-inflammation in male rats. AIMS Neurosci 2019; 6:43-53. [PMID: 32341967 PMCID: PMC7179341 DOI: 10.3934/neuroscience.2019.2.43] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2018] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a brain disorder as a result of liver failure. Previous studies have indicated that erythropoietin (EPO) has neuroprotective effects in different neurological diseases. This study addressed the therapeutic effect of a four-week treatment with EPO on neuronal damages in bile duct-ligated rats. Forty male Wistar rats (250-280 g) were used in the present study. The animals were randomly divided into four groups consisting of 10 animals each, including sham, sham + EPO, bile duct ligation (BDL), and BDL + EPO. EPO was intraperitoneally administered every other day (5,000 U/Kg) in the last four weeks after BDL. Biochemical and histological studies were performed to evaluate neurodegeneration. The results revealed that BDL increases the level of hepatic enzymes and total bilirubin. Furthermore, neurodegeneration was significantly increased in the BDL group compared to sham groups. EPO preserved hepatic enzymes and total bilirubin in the treated group. In addition, EPO significantly decreased the neurodegeneration in BDL + EPO compared to the BDL group. Results of this study showed that EPO has neuroprotective effects in the rat model of HE, possibly due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Complementary studies are required to clarify the exact mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moazameh Golshani
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Afzalipour School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Mohsen Basiri
- Neuroscience Research Center, Neuropharmacology Institute, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Mohammad Shabani
- Neuroscience Research Center, Neuropharmacology Institute, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Iraj Aghaei
- Neuroscience Research Center, Poursina Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | - Majid Asadi-Shekaari
- Neuroscience Research Center, Neuropharmacology Institute, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
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Jindal A, Jagdish RK. Sarcopenia: Ammonia metabolism and hepatic encephalopathy. Clin Mol Hepatol 2019; 25:270-279. [PMID: 31006226 PMCID: PMC6759436 DOI: 10.3350/cmh.2019.0015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass and/or strength) frequently complicates liver cirrhosis and adversely affects the quality of life; cirrhosis related liver decompensation and significantly decreases wait-list and post-liver transplantation survival. The main therapeutic strategies to improve or reverse sarcopenia include dietary interventions (supplemental calorie and protein intake), increased physical activity (supervised resistance and endurance exercises), hormonal therapy (testosterone), and ammonia lowering agents (L-ornithine L-aspartate, branch chain amino acids) as well as mechanistic approaches that target underlying molecular and metabolic abnormalities. Besides other factors, hyperammonemia has recently gained attention and increase sarcopenia by various mechanisms including increased expression of myostatin, increased phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2a, cataplerosis of α ketoglutarate, mitochondrial dysfunction, increased reactive oxygen species that decrease protein synthesis and increased autophagy-mediated proteolysis. Sarcopenia contributes to frailty and increases the risk of minimal and overt hepatic encephalopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankur Jindal
- Department of Hepatology, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Rakesh Kumar Jagdish
- Department of Hepatology, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi, India
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Aamann L, Tandon P, Bémeur C. Role of Exercise in the Management of Hepatic Encephalopathy: Experience From Animal and Human Studies. J Clin Exp Hepatol 2019; 9:131-136. [PMID: 30765946 PMCID: PMC6363958 DOI: 10.1016/j.jceh.2018.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sarcopenia and malnutrition are common features in patients with hepatic encephalopathy. Ammonia, a factor implicated in the pathophysiology of hepatic encephalopathy, may be cleared by the muscle via the enzyme glutamine synthetase when the liver function is impaired. Hence, optimizing muscle mass in patients suffering from hepatic encephalopathy is a potential strategy to decrease ammonia levels. Exercise could be an efficient therapeutic approach to optimize muscle mass and therefore potentially reduce the risk of hepatic encephalopathy in patients with chronic liver disease. This review reports the current evidence regarding exercise and hepatic encephalopathy from animal and human studies. After defining concepts such as frailty, sarcopenia, and malnutrition, the present knowledge regarding exercise as potential therapy in cirrhotic patients with or without hepatic encephalopathy is discussed. Recommendations and future aspects are also considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luise Aamann
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Puneeta Tandon
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Chantal Bémeur
- Département de nutrition, Faculté de médecine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montreal, Canada
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Ochoa-Sanchez R, Rose CF. Pathogenesis of Hepatic Encephalopathy in Chronic Liver Disease. J Clin Exp Hepatol 2018; 8:262-271. [PMID: 30302043 PMCID: PMC6175755 DOI: 10.1016/j.jceh.2018.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a complex neuropsychiatric syndrome that occurs during chronic liver disease (CLD). While ammonia and other precipitating factors in liver disease including inflammation, bile acids, oxidative stress, and lactate play a role in the pathogenesis of HE, the exact mechanism that leads to HE is not fully understood. Notably, accumulating evidence points toward a synergic effect rather than independent actions among precipitating factors that contributes to the development and severity of HE in CLD. Hence, this review is aimed to briefly discuss the single and synergic interplay of pathological factors in the progression and severity of HE.
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Key Words
- AQP4, Aquaporin 4
- BAs, Bile Acids
- BBB, Blood-Brain Barrier
- BDL, Bile Duct Ligation
- CLD, Chronic Liver Disease
- CSF, Cerebrospinal Fluid
- GABA, Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
- GAMSAs, GABAA Receptor Modulating Steroid Antagonists
- GFAP, Glial Fibrillary Acid Protein
- GLAST, Glial Glutamate-Aspartate Transporter
- GPR81, G-Protein-Coupled Receptor 81
- GS, Glutamine Synthetase
- HE, Hepatic Encephalopathy
- ICP, Intracranial Pressure
- ILs, Interleukins
- MRI, Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- NF-?B, Nuclear Factor Kappa B
- NMDA, N-Methyl-d-Aspartate Glutamate Receptor
- NO, Nitric Oxide
- PCA, Portacaval Anastomosis
- ROS, Reactive Oxygen Species
- TJ, Tight Junction
- TNF-a, Tumor Necrosis Alpha
- ammonia
- astrocyte swelling
- bile acids
- brain edema
- cGMP, Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate
- cirrhosis
- hepatic encephalopathy
- inflammation
- lactate
- mGluR, Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor
- neurotransmission
- oxidative stress
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christopher F. Rose
- Address for correspondence. Christopher F. Rose Professor, Dept. Medicine, Université de Montréal, CRCHUM, 900 Saint-Denis Street, Montréal, Québec, H2X 0A9, Canada.
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Weiss N, Dam G, Rose CF. Ammonia: This is not the end but rather the end of the beginning. J Hepatol 2018; 68:1110-1113. [PMID: 29626494 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2018.03.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Revised: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Weiss
- Sorbonne Université, Brain Liver Pitié-Salpêtrière (BLIPS) Study Group, INSERM, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Groupement Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière Charles Foix, Département de Neurologie, Unité de réanimation neurologique, Paris, France
| | - Gitte Dam
- Department of Medicine V (Hepatology and Gastroenterology), Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Christopher F Rose
- Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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Levitt DG, Levitt MD. A model of blood-ammonia homeostasis based on a quantitative analysis of nitrogen metabolism in the multiple organs involved in the production, catabolism, and excretion of ammonia in humans. Clin Exp Gastroenterol 2018; 11:193-215. [PMID: 29872332 PMCID: PMC5973424 DOI: 10.2147/ceg.s160921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased blood ammonia (NH3) is an important causative factor in hepatic encephalopathy, and clinical treatment of hepatic encephalopathy is focused on lowering NH3. Ammonia is a central element in intraorgan nitrogen (N) transport, and modeling the factors that determine blood-NH3 concentration is complicated by the need to account for a variety of reactions carried out in multiple organs. This review presents a detailed quantitative analysis of the major factors determining blood-NH3 homeostasis – the N metabolism of urea, NH3, and amino acids by the liver, gastrointestinal system, muscle, kidney, and brain – with the ultimate goal of creating a model that allows for prediction of blood-NH3 concentration. Although enormous amounts of NH3 are produced during normal liver amino-acid metabolism, this NH3 is completely captured by the urea cycle and does not contribute to blood NH3. While some systemic NH3 derives from renal and muscle metabolism, the primary site of blood-NH3 production is the gastrointestinal tract, as evidenced by portal vein-NH3 concentrations that are about three times that of systemic blood. Three mechanisms, in order of quantitative importance, release NH3 in the gut: 1) hydrolysis of urea by bacterial urease, 2) bacterial protein deamination, and 3) intestinal mucosal glutamine metabolism. Although the colon is conventionally assumed to be the major site of gut-NH3 production, evidence is reviewed that indicates that the stomach (via Helicobacter pylori metabolism) and small intestine and may be of greater importance. In healthy subjects, most of this gut NH3 is removed by the liver before reaching the systemic circulation. Using a quantitative model, loss of this “first-pass metabolism” due to portal collateral circulation can account for the hyperammonemia observed in chronic liver disease, and there is usually no need to implicate hepatocyte malfunction. In contrast, in acute hepatic necrosis, hyperammonemia results from damaged hepatocytes. Although muscle-NH3 uptake is normally negligible, it can become important in severe hyperammonemia. The NH3-lowering actions of intestinal antibiotics (rifaximin) and lactulose are discussed in detail, with particular emphasis on the seeming lack of importance of the frequently emphasized acidifying action of lactulose in the colon.
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Affiliation(s)
- David G Levitt
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota
| | - Michael D Levitt
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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Mancini A, Campagna F, Amodio P, Tuohy KM. Gut : liver : brain axis: the microbial challenge in the hepatic encephalopathy. Food Funct 2018; 9:1373-1388. [PMID: 29485654 DOI: 10.1039/c7fo01528c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a debilitating neuropsychiatric condition often associated with acute liver failure or cirrhosis. Advanced liver diseases are characterized by a leaky gut and systemic inflammation. There is strong evidence that the pathogenesis of HE is linked to a dysbiotic gut microbiota and to harmful microbial by-products, such as ammonia, indoles, oxindoles and endotoxins. Increased concentrations of these toxic metabolites together with the inability of the diseased liver to clear such products is thought to play an important patho-ethiological role. Current first line clinical treatments target microbiota dysbiosis by decreasing the counts of pathogenic bacteria, blood endotoxemia and ammonia levels. This review will focus on the role of the gut microbiota and its metabolism in HE and advanced cirrhosis. It will critically assess data from different clinical trials measuring the efficacy of the prebiotic lactulose, the probiotic VSL#3 and the antibiotic rifaximin in treating HE and advanced cirrhosis, through gut microbiota modulation. Additionally data from Randomised Controlled Trials using pre-, pro- and synbiotic will be also considered by reporting meta-analysis studies. The large amount of existing data showed that HE is a clear example of how an altered gut microbiota homeostasis can influence and impact on physiological functions outside the intestine, with implication for host health at the systems level. Nevertheless, a strong effort should be made to increase the information on gut microbiota ecology and its metabolic function in liver diseases and HE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Mancini
- Department of Food Quality and Nutrition, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, Trento, Italy.
| | - Francesca Campagna
- Department of Medicine (DIMED), University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Piero Amodio
- Department of Medicine (DIMED), University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Kieran M Tuohy
- Department of Food Quality and Nutrition, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, Trento, Italy.
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The Pharmabiotic Approach to Treat Hyperammonemia. Nutrients 2018; 10:nu10020140. [PMID: 29382084 PMCID: PMC5852716 DOI: 10.3390/nu10020140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Revised: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Ammonia is constantly produced as a metabolic waste from amino acid catabolism in mammals. Ammonia, the toxic waste metabolite, is resolved in the liver where the urea cycle converts free ammonia to urea. Liver malfunctions cause hyperammonemia that leads to central nervous system (CNS) dysfunctions, such as brain edema, convulsions, and coma. The current treatments for hyperammonemia, such as antibiotics or lactulose, are designed to decrease the intestinal production of ammonia and/or its absorption into the body and are not effective, besides being often accompanied by side effects. In recent years, increasing evidence has shown that modifications of the gut microbiota could be used to treat hyperammonemia. Considering the role of the gut microbiota and the physiological characteristics of the intestine, the removal of ammonia from the intestine by modulating the gut microbiota would be an ideal approach to treat hyperammonemia. In this review, we discuss the significance of hyperammonemia and its related diseases and the efficacy of the current management methods for hyperammonemia to understand the mechanism of ammonia transport in the human body. The possibility to use the gut microbiota as pharmabiotics to treat hyperammonemia and its related diseases is also explored.
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Tajiri K, Futsukaichi Y, Kobayashi S, Yasumura S, Takahara T, Minemura M, Sugiyama T. L-Carnitine for the Treatment of Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy in Patients with Advanced Liver Cirrhosis. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 2018; 64:321-328. [PMID: 30381621 DOI: 10.3177/jnsv.64.321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy is a major complication in patients with advanced cirrhosis and is associated with poor prognosis. To evaluate the effectiveness of L-carnitine supplementation in patients with overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE), outcomes were retrospectively analyzed in patients with OHE who were treated with intravenous branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), with or without intravenous L-carnitine. Twenty-six patients were treated with intravenous BCAA in addition to conventional agents such as lactulose and non-absorbable antibiotics (Group A), and 19 patients were treated with these agents plus intravenous L-carnitine (Group L). Changes in blood ammonia concentrations, hepatic coma grade and the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) were compared in the two groups. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was evaluated in the two groups and in patients who were and were not administered oral L-carnitine supplementation. At baseline, GCS scores were significantly lower and deterioration in liver function greater in Group L. After 3 d of intravenous L-carnitine, however, GCS showed a significantly greater improvement in Group L than in Group A. Blood ammonia levels improved stably over time in Group L. Overall survival and RFS were similar in Group L and Group A, but median RFS was significantly longer in patients who did than did not receive oral L-carnitine supplementation (735 versus 497 d, p=0.03). Although these findings are preliminary, L-carnitine supplementation may be a therapeutic option for patients with OHE and disturbed consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuto Tajiri
- Department of Gastroenterology, Toyama University Hospital
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Song M, Xia L, Liu Q, Sun M, Wang F, Yang C. Sarcopenia in Liver Disease: Current Evidence and Issues to Be sResolved. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2018; 1088:413-433. [PMID: 30390263 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-1435-3_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Sarcopenia is a common clinical symptom in aging and patients with wasting diseases, characterized by a decreased skeletal muscle mass. As a consequence of lifestyle change, the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) presents a rising trend. In the past three decades, increasing evidence has proved that sarcopenia is related to NAFLD. In this chapter, we will summarize the emerging evidence of the predictive role of sarcopenia in NAFLD and review the diagnosis value, feasible mechanism, and therapy strategies of sarcopenia in NAFLD. Sarcopenia is a potential risk factor for NAFLD, and targeting sarcopenia can benefit NAFLD to some extent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meiyi Song
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Digestive Disease Institute, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lu Xia
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Digestive Disease Institute, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qi Liu
- Department of Endocrinology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Mengxue Sun
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Digestive Disease Institute, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Fei Wang
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Digestive Disease Institute, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Changqing Yang
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Digestive Disease Institute, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
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Abstract
As the cirrhosis progresses, development of complication like ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, variceal bleeding, kidney dysfunction, and hepatocellular carcinoma signify increasing risk of short term mortality. Malnutrition and muscle wasting (sarcopenia) is yet other complications that negatively impact survival, quality of life, and response to stressors, such as infection and surgery in patients with cirrhosis. Conventionally, these are not routinely looked for, because nutritional assessment can be a difficult especially if there is associated fluid retention and/or obesity. Patients with cirrhosis may have a combination of loss of skeletal muscle and gain of adipose tissue, culminating in the condition of "sarcopenic obesity." Sarcopenia in cirrhotic patients has been associated with increased mortality, sepsis complications, hyperammonemia, overt hepatic encephalopathy, and increased length of stay after liver transplantation. Assessment of muscles with cross-sectional imaging studies has become an attractive index of nutritional status evaluation in cirrhosis, as sarcopenia, the major component of malnutrition, is primarily responsible for the adverse clinical consequences seen in patients with liver disease. Cirrhosis is a state of accelerated starvation, with increased gluconeogenesis that requires amino acid diversion from other metabolic functions. Protein homeostasis is disturbed in cirrhosis due to several factors such as hyperammonemia, hormonal, and cytokine abnormalities, physical inactivity and direct effects of ethanol and its metabolites. New approaches to manage sarcopenia are being evolved. Branched chain amino acid supplementation, Myostatin inhibitors, and mitochondrial protective agents are currently in various stages of evaluation in preclinical studies to prevent and reverse sarcopenia, in cirrhosis.
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Key Words
- (PG) SGA, patient-generated SGA
- AMPK, 5′ adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase
- ASPEN, American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
- ATP, adenosine triphosphate
- Akt/PKB, serine/threonine-specific protein kinase B
- BIA, bio-electric impedance analysis
- BMC, bone mineral content
- BMI, body mass index
- CT, computed tomography
- DDLT, deceased donor liver transplantation
- DRM, disease-related malnutrition
- DXA, dual X-ray absorptiometry
- ESPEN, European Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
- FFI, Fried Frailty Index
- FFM, fat free mass
- FFMI, fat free mass index
- FM, fat mass
- HE, hepatic encephalopathy
- LDLT, living donor liver transplant
- LST, lean soft tissue
- MAC, mid arm circumference
- MAMC, mid arm muscle circumference
- MELD, model for end-stage liver disease
- MNA, Mini Nutritional Assessment
- MRI, magnetic resonance imaging
- NASH, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
- PCM, protein-calorie nalnutrition
- REE, resting energy expenditure
- RQ, respiratory quotient (or RQ or respiratory coefficient)
- SGA, Subjective Global Assessment
- SMI, Skeletal Muscle Index
- SPPB, Short Physical Performance Battery
- TIPS, trans jugular intrahepatic portocaval shunts
- TNF, tumour necrosis factor
- TSF, triceps skin fild thickness
- WHO, World Health Organisation
- YPA, total psoas area
- aKG, alfa keto glutarate
- cirrhosis
- mTORC1, mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1
- nutrition
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Kumar A, Davuluri G, deSilva RN, Engelen MPKJ, TenHave G, Prayson R, Deutz NEP, Dasarathy S. Ammonia lowering reverses sarcopenia of cirrhosis by restoring skeletal muscle proteostasis. Hepatology 2017; 65:2045-2058. [PMID: 28195332 PMCID: PMC5444955 DOI: 10.1002/hep.29107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Revised: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 02/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Sarcopenia or skeletal muscle loss is a frequent, potentially reversible complication in cirrhosis that adversely affects clinical outcomes. Hyperammonemia is a consistent abnormality in cirrhosis that results in impaired skeletal muscle protein synthesis and breakdown (proteostasis). Despite the availability of effective ammonia-lowering therapies, whether lowering ammonia restores proteostasis and increases muscle mass is unknown. Myotube diameter, protein synthesis, and molecular responses in C2C12 murine myotubes to withdrawal of ammonium acetate following 24-hour exposure to 10 mM ammonium acetate were complemented by in vivo studies in the hyperammonemic portacaval anastomosis rat and sham-operated, pair-fed Sprague-Dawley rats treated with ammonia-lowering therapy by l-ornithine l-aspartate and rifaximin orally for 4 weeks. We observed reduced myotube diameter, impaired protein synthesis, and increased autophagy flux in response to hyperammonemia, which were partially reversed following 24-hour and 48-hour withdrawal of ammonium acetate. Consistently, 4 weeks of ammonia-lowering therapy resulted in significant lowering of blood and skeletal muscle ammonia, increase in lean body mass, improved grip strength, higher skeletal muscle mass and diameter, and an increase in type 2 fibers in treated compared to untreated portacaval anastomosis rats. The increased skeletal muscle myostatin expression, reduced mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 function, and hyperammonemic stress response including autophagy markers normally found in portacaval anastomosis rats were reversed by treatment with ammonia-lowering therapy. Despite significant improvement, molecular and functional readouts were not completely reversed by ammonia-lowering measures. CONCLUSION Ammonia-lowering therapy results in improvement in skeletal muscle phenotype and function and molecular perturbations of hyperammonemia; these preclinical studies complement previous studies on ammonia-induced skeletal muscle loss and lay the foundation for prolonged ammonia-lowering therapy to reverse sarcopenia of cirrhosis. (Hepatology 2017;65:2045-2058).
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Affiliation(s)
- Avinash Kumar
- Department of Pathobiology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
| | | | | | | | - Gabrie TenHave
- Department of Kinesiology, University of Texas A&M, College Station, Texas
| | | | - Nicolaas EP Deutz
- Department of Kinesiology, University of Texas A&M, College Station, Texas
| | - Srinivasan Dasarathy
- Department of Pathobiology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio,Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
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Ahn JM, Kim CH, Um SH, Kim KM, Kim TH, Yim SY, Choi HS, Kim ES, Keum B, Seo YS, Yim HJ, Jeen YT, Lee HS, Chun HJ, Kim CD, Ryu HS. Validation study associating glutaminase promoter variations with hepatic encephalopathy in East Asian populations. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2017; 32:901-907. [PMID: 27749985 DOI: 10.1111/jgh.13618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM In a recent study, microsatellite variations (GCA tandem repeats) in the promoter region of the (kidney-type) glutaminase gene were associated with the development of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in Spanish patients with cirrhosis. The objective of this study was to validate the relation between microsatellite variations in the glutaminase promoter region and the development of overt HE in Korean patients with liver cirrhosis. METHODS We performed a prospective cohort study of 154 cirrhotic patients who underwent a glutaminase microsatellite study without previous overt HE history at baseline. The primary end point was the first episode of overt HE. The microsatellite length was categorized into three groups based on its repeated number, with a cutoff value of 14; 65 (42.2%), 70 (45.5%), and 19 (12.3%) patients had the short-short, short-long, and long-long alleles, respectively. RESULTS Over a median 3.5 years of follow-up (range = 0.1-4.4), overt HE developed in 28 patients (18.2%). The 3-year cumulative incidence of overt HE was 18.4%. Multivariate Cox model indicated that past hepatocellular carcinoma history, alcoholic etiology for cirrhosis, higher Model for End-Stage Liver Disease scores and their deterioration, and serum ammonium levels were independently associated with HE development. However, microsatellite length was not associated with the development of overt HE. CONCLUSIONS In Korean patients with cirrhosis, microsatellite variations in the glutaminase promoter region were not associated with development of overt HE. Thus, additional studies are needed to identify other genetic factors related to glutaminase activity in Asians with overt HE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jem Ma Ahn
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Chang Ha Kim
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Soon Ho Um
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Kyung Mee Kim
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Tae Hyung Kim
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sun Young Yim
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hyuk Soon Choi
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Eun Sun Kim
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Bora Keum
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Yeon Seok Seo
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hyung Joon Yim
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Yoon Tae Jeen
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hong Sik Lee
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hoon Jai Chun
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Chang Duck Kim
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Ho Sang Ryu
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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43
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Shiraki M, Shimizu M, Moriwaki H, Okita K, Koike K. Carnitine dynamics and their effects on hyperammonemia in cirrhotic Japanese patients. Hepatol Res 2017; 47:321-327. [PMID: 27254133 DOI: 10.1111/hepr.12750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2016] [Revised: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
AIM Supplementation with levocarnitine preparations has been reported to improve hepatic encephalopathy, but no detailed investigations have addressed the dynamics of carnitine or its supplementation indication in cirrhosis patients. We studied carnitine dynamics in cirrhotic patients by measuring serum and liver tissue carnitine levels and tested the effects of levocarnitine supplementation on concurrent hyperammonemia. METHODS In a pilot cohort of seven patients with liver cirrhosis and five patients without cirrhosis, the serum and liver carnitine concentrations were measured. Then the serum carnitine fractions were analyzed in 70 liver cirrhosis patients. Among them, a levocarnitine preparation (1800 mg/day) was supplemented orally for 3 months in 27 patients with refractory hyperammonemia, and the effects were evaluated. RESULTS A significant correlation was observed between serum and liver tissue carnitine concentrations (r = 0.69, P < 0.05). The serum total carnitine concentration was 68.4 ± 4.7 μmol/L, the free carnitine concentration was 53.2 ± 2.6 μmol/L, and the acylcarnitine concentration was 13.2 ± 1.1 μmol/L in 70 cirrhotic patients (reference values are 45-91, 36-74, 6-23 μmol/L, respectively). There was no correlation between blood ammonia and serum carnitine concentrations. The serum carnitine concentration rose with levocarnitine supplementation, reaching steady state after 1 month and, in parallel, refractory hyperammonemia was significantly improved. The cut-off level for a 20% decrease in blood ammonia was identified as 62.0 μmol/L total carnitine concentration by receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, with an area under the curve of 0.69. CONCLUSION Serum carnitine concentrations were within standard levels in the majority of liver cirrhosis patients. In patients with concurrent hyperammonemia, the levocarnitine supplementation reduced blood ammonia levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makoto Shiraki
- The First Department of Internal Medicine, Gifu University School of Medicine, Gifu
| | - Masahito Shimizu
- The First Department of Internal Medicine, Gifu University School of Medicine, Gifu
| | - Hisataka Moriwaki
- The First Department of Internal Medicine, Gifu University School of Medicine, Gifu
| | | | - Kazuhiko Koike
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan
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44
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Sarcopenia from mechanism to diagnosis and treatment in liver disease. J Hepatol 2016; 65:1232-1244. [PMID: 27515775 PMCID: PMC5116259 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2016.07.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 392] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Revised: 07/09/2016] [Accepted: 07/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Sarcopenia or loss of skeletal muscle mass is the major component of malnutrition and is a frequent complication in cirrhosis that adversely affects clinical outcomes. These include survival, quality of life, development of other complications and post liver transplantation survival. Radiological image analysis is currently utilized to diagnose sarcopenia in cirrhosis. Nutrient supplementation and physical activity are used to counter sarcopenia but have not been consistently effective because the underlying molecular and metabolic abnormalities persist or are not influenced by these treatments. Even though alterations in food intake, hypermetabolism, alterations in amino acid profiles, endotoxemia, accelerated starvation and decreased mobility may all contribute to sarcopenia in cirrhosis, hyperammonemia has recently gained attention as a possible mediator of the liver-muscle axis. Increased muscle ammonia causes: cataplerosis of α-ketoglutarate, increased transport of leucine in exchange for glutamine, impaired signaling by leucine, increased expression of myostatin (a transforming growth factor beta superfamily member) and an increased phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2α. In addition, mitochondrial dysfunction, increased reactive oxygen species that decrease protein synthesis and increased autophagy mediated proteolysis, also play a role. These molecular and metabolic alterations may contribute to the anabolic resistance and inadequate response to nutrient supplementation in cirrhosis. Central and skeletal muscle fatigue contributes to impaired exercise capacity and responses. Use of proteins with low ammoniagenic potential, leucine enriched amino acid supplementation, long-term ammonia lowering strategies and a combination of resistance and endurance exercise to increase muscle mass and function may target the molecular abnormalities in the muscle. Strategies targeting endotoxemia and the gut microbiome need further evaluation.
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45
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Kristiansen RG. Current state of knowledge of hepatic encephalopathy (part I): newer treatment strategies for hyperammonemia in liver failure. Metab Brain Dis 2016; 31:1357-1358. [PMID: 27651377 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-016-9908-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 09/05/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Alterations in interorgan metabolism of ammonia play an important role in the onset of hyperammonemia in liver failure. Glutamine synthetase (GS) in muscle is an important target for ammonia removal strategies in hyperammonemia. Ornithine Phenylacetate (OP) is hypothesized to remove ammonia by providing glutamate as a substrate for increased GS activity and hence glutamine production. The newly generated glutamine conjugates with phenylacetate forming phenylacetylglutamine which can be excreted in the urine, providing an excretion pathway for ammonia. We have also shown that OP targets glycine metabolism, providing an additional ammonia reducing effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rune Gangsoy Kristiansen
- Department of Anesthesiology, Anesthesia and Critical Care Research Group, University Hospital of North Norway, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
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46
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Kristiansen RG, Rose CF, Ytrebø LM. Glycine and hyperammonemia: potential target for the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy. Metab Brain Dis 2016; 31:1269-1273. [PMID: 27339764 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-016-9858-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2015] [Accepted: 06/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neuropsychiatric disorder caused by hepatic dysfunction. Numerous studies dictate that ammonia plays an important role in the pathogenesis of HE, and hyperammonemia can lead to alterations in amino acid homeostasis. Glutamine and glycine are both ammoniagenic amino acids that are increased in liver failure. Modulating the levels of glutamine and glycine has shown to reduce ammonia concentration in hyperammonemia. Ornithine Phenylacetate (OP) has consistently been shown to reduce arterial ammonia levels in liver failure by modulating glutamine levels. In addition to this, OP has also been found to modulate glycine concentration providing an additional ammonia removing effect. Data support that glycine also serves an important role in N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor mediated neurotransmission in HE. This potential important role for glycine in the pathogenesis of HE merits further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rune Gangsøy Kristiansen
- Department of Anesthesiology, Anesthesia and Critical Care Research Group, University Hospital of North Norway and UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
- Department of Anesthesiology, Ålesund Hospital, Helse Møre og Romsdal, 6010, Ålesund, Norway.
| | - Christopher F Rose
- Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Lars Marius Ytrebø
- Department of Anesthesiology, Anesthesia and Critical Care Research Group, University Hospital of North Norway and UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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47
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Rombouts K, Bémeur C, Rose CF. Targeting the muscle for the treatment and prevention of hepatic encephalopathy. J Hepatol 2016; 65:876-878. [PMID: 27590353 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2016.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2016] [Revised: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 08/25/2016] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Krista Rombouts
- University College London (UCL), Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Chantal Bémeur
- Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; Département de Nutrition, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
| | - Christopher F Rose
- Hepato-Neuro Laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
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48
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Zacharias HD, Zacharias AP, Oliveira Ferreira A, Morgan MY, Gluud LL. Ammonia scavenging agents for people with cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy. THE COCHRANE DATABASE OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd012334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Harry D Zacharias
- Division of Medicine, Royal Free Campus, University College London; UCL Institute for Liver & Digestive Health; London UK NW3 2PF
| | - Antony P Zacharias
- Division of Medicine, Royal Free Campus, University College London; UCL Institute for Liver & Digestive Health; London UK NW3 2PF
| | - Alexandre Oliveira Ferreira
- Hospital Santa Maria; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Av Prof Egas Moniz Lisboa Portugal 1649
| | - Marsha Y Morgan
- Division of Medicine, Royal Free Campus, University College London; UCL Institute for Liver & Digestive Health; London UK NW3 2PF
| | - Lise Lotte Gluud
- Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre; Gastrounit, Medical Division; Kettegaards Alle Hvidovre Denmark 2650
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49
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Iwasa M, Takei Y. Pathophysiology and management of hepatic encephalopathy 2014 update: Ammonia toxicity and hyponatremia. Hepatol Res 2015; 45:1155-62. [PMID: 25604571 DOI: 10.1111/hepr.12495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Revised: 01/15/2015] [Accepted: 01/17/2015] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Hyperammonemia is a major factor involved in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Ammonia elicits astrocyte swelling and causes brain edema. In addition, hyponatremia, a condition frequently observed in hepatic cirrhosis, also exacerbates brain edema, potentially becoming a factor that exacerbates HE. Therefore, as a treatment strategy for HE, alleviating ammonia toxicity is essential. In addition to restricting protein intake, synthetic disaccharides such as lactulose and lactitol, probiotics that improve gut flora, and rifaximin, an antibiotic with poor bioavailability, are also administrated. Additionally, branched-chain amino acids and carnitine have also been administrated. Moreover, we investigated the current trend in the concomitant use of drugs with different mechanisms of action. In Japan, the V2 receptor antagonist tolvaptan can be administrated to hepatic cirrhosis patients with fluid retention. This drug is also useful as a countermeasure for hyponatremia in hepatic cirrhosis, and elucidating its effects in HE patients may therefore become an agenda in the future. These observations indicate that ammonia toxicity, gut flora control and low sodium control are major focuses in HE improvement and long-term prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yoshiyuki Takei
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie, Japan
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50
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Schroeter A, Wen S, Mölders A, Erlenhardt N, Stein V, Klöcker N. Depletion of the AMPAR reserve pool impairs synaptic plasticity in a model of hepatic encephalopathy. Mol Cell Neurosci 2015; 68:331-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2015.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2015] [Revised: 07/22/2015] [Accepted: 09/06/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
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