| Abstract: | Abstract. Urea-cycle enzymes and ornithine-ketoacid-transaminase have been measured in biopsy specimens of liver from healthy subjects and from patients suffering from alcoholic hepatitis. Both groups of subjects received a hospital diet of about 100 g of protein daily. Extraction of enzymes from biopsy specimens was performed by a standardized technique.—The DNA content of liver did not vary significantly between the groups, whereas protein content was significantly lower in patients with alcoholics hepatitis than in controls (p < 0.05). Of the enzymes tested, the activities of carbamyl-phosphate synthetase and arginase were significantly decreased (p < 0.05 and p < 0.005 respectively) in patients with alcoholic hepatitis. Activities of arginosuccinate lyase, ornithine-ketoacid-transaminase and ornithine-carbamylphosphate transaminase remained unchanged in both groups.—These results demonstrate that alterations in arginase and carbamylphosphate synthetase-activities in the liver of patients with alcoholic hepatitis precede the histological manifestation of liver cirrhosis, which is associated with a significant decrease in some urea cycle enzymes [3, 15, 16]. Therefore the determination of arginase and carbamylphosphate synthetase in needle-biopsies of human liver represent sensitive parameters of liver cell necrosis during the course of alcoholic hepatitis. |
