Albumin synthesis in cirrhotic subjects with ascites studied with carbonate-14C

A B S T R A C T Simultaneous studies of albumin and fibrinogen metabolism have been conducted using the carbonate-14C method before and after a 13 day course of prednisolone in eight patients with hepatocellular disease. Initially six patients were hypoalbuminemic. The mean plasma albumin and fibrinogen concentrations and albumin and fibrinogen synthetic rates were all lower than the corresponding values in a group of control subjects. Prednisolone therapy was associated with significant increases in the plasma concentration and synthetic rate of albumin but changes in the intravascular albumin pools were not significant. It is inferred that a low synthetic rate of albumin in a patient with liver disease does not necessarily represent the maximum capacity of the diseased liver to synthesize this protein.Changes in the plasma concentration, intravascular pool, and synthetic rate of fibrinogen were small and inconsistent. The data are compatible with a selective action of corticosteroids on hepatic protein metabolism and with the existence of different mechanisms for the control of albumin and fibrinogen synthesis.

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Augmentation of albumin but not fibrinogen synthesis by corticosteroids in patients with hepatocellular disease

Cain¹,

Mayer²,

Jones³

1970

“…Further, the alcohol-induced changes may be only transient since albumin synthesis frequently is found to be normal once the intake of alcohol and poor nutrition are removed (2). The efReceived for publication 4 January 1971 and in revised form 26 March 1971. fect of alcohol per se on albumin synthesis was examined in the isolated perfused rabbit liver.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alcohol-induced depression of albumin synthesis: reversal by tryptophan

Rothschild¹,

Oratz²,

Mongelli³

et al. 1971

Self Cite

121

A B S T R A C T The influence of alcohol on albumin synthesis was studied in the isolated perfused rabbit liver. Carbonate-"C was used to label the intracellular arginine pool which serves as the precursor of both the carbon of urea and the guanido carbon of arginine in albumin. The control group synthesized albumin at a rate of 33 mg/100 g of wet liver weight during 2.5 hr of perfusion. When alcohol, 220 mg/100 ml, was added to the perfusate, albumin synthesis decreased to between 7 and 11 mg, less than one-third the control rate. The addition of 10 mm tryptophan to perfusates containing alcohol prevented most of the inhibitory effects and albumin synthesis increased to average 24 mg. Further, the addition of alcohol to the perfusate decreased the hepatic protein/DNA ratio from 70 to 54 and the RNA/DNA ratio from 2.3 to 1.8, changes equivalent to those seen after a 24 hr fast. The addition of tryptophan to the perfusate prevented these findings in both instances.Endoplasmic membrane-bound polysomes were examined for aggregation. Alcohol decreased the quantity of heavier aggregates. Reaggregation occurred when tryptophan was added but quantitative changes in albumin synthesis could not be related to the degree of reaggregation.

“…Albumin was isolated from the samples of blood, ascitic fluid, and lymph by precipitation in 5%o trichloroacetic acid (TCA) as has been described (11). The precipitate was extracted with 95%o ethanol-1% TCA.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Three parts of diethylether were added to the extract to reprecipitate the albumin; the albumin redissolved and dialyzed overnight. This procedure was repeated and a sample of the protein was concentrated to 6% and examined by immunoelectrophoresis (12) to guard against the use of a preparation which contained obvious serum protein contamination as has been described previously (11). The albumin was hydrolyzed with 6 N HCl, neutralized and passed through a resin column according to the method of McFarlane (6), and treated consecutively with arginase and urease.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The albumin was hydrolyzed with 6 N HCl, neutralized and passed through a resin column according to the method of McFarlane (6), and treated consecutively with arginase and urease. An aliquot was taken for nitrogen analysis by incubation with urease according to the method of Conway and Byrne (11,13). Ammonia was released with 45% K2COs trapped in 2 N H2SO4, and assayed with a Nessler's reagent.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Albumin to ascites: demonstration of a direct pathway bypassing the systemic circulation

Zimmon¹,

Oratz²,

Kessler³

et al. 1969

A B S T R A C T The transport of plasma albumin and newly made albumin into ascitic fluid was studied in eight patients with cirrhosis and ascites. The thoracic duct was cannulated in two patients and lymph collected over a period of 2 hr. Simultaneously albumin-WI and carbonate-'4C were injected intravenously. The albumin-131I measured the transfer of plasma albumin into ascites and into thoracic duct lymph. The carbonate-`C, by labeling newly formed albumin, permitted the estimation of the transfer of newly formed albumin into plasma, ascites, and lymph.If the newly synthesized albumin entering ascites and thoracic duct lymph is delivered initially into the plasma, then the ratios of the albumin-1C and -l1`I in ascites and lymph compared with the content of albumin-1`C and -"'I in plasma would be identical. However, if some newly formed albumin is delivered directly into ascites or lymph, the ratio for albumin-14C would be higher than that for albumin-"31I in lymph or ascites.The ratios of both labeled albumins found in ascites or lymph are expressed as per cent of the total plasma pool. In the eight patients studied 4.2-11.7% of the albumin-14C in plasma was found in ascites in 2 hr whereas only 0.4-2.2% of plasma albumin-WI entered in this same period. In the two patients studied during thoracic duct lymph drainage 6.1 and 13.5% of newly made albumin-14C appeared in lymph in 2 hr whereas only 2.8 and 3.8% of plasma albumin-"1I was found in the lymph.In cirrhosis with ascites some newly formed albumin entered ascites and thoracic duct lymph by a direct pathway from the liver bypassing the systemic circulation.