Summary
Plasma amino acid, plasma pancreatic glucagon and serum insulin levels were simultaneously measured in cirrhotic patients with (drinkers) and without a history of alcohol drinking (non-drinkers), as compared to those in alcoholics without liver disease. Clinical characteristics in drinkers and non-drinkers, such as the extent of liver dysfunction, which may affect plasma amino acid levels, were strictly matched. Plasma pan creatic glucagon levels in the drinker group were much higher than those in the non-drinker group. In the former group, the elevated plasma pancreatic glucagon levels were correlated (p<0.05) to total amino acid levels (the sum of 20 kinds of L-amino acid concentrations) and, elevated AAA concentrations leading to a diminished BCAA/AAA ratio. Drinkers with histories of hepatic encephalopathy presented grossly elevated glucagon levels and severely abnormal aminograms similar to those observed in hepatic insufficiency.
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Abbreviations
- BCAA:
-
Branched chain amino acids (valine, leucine, and isoleucine)
- AAA:
-
Aromatic amino acids (tyrosine and phenylalanine)
- IRI:
-
Immunoreactive insulin
- IRG:
-
Immunoreactive glucagon
- PT:
-
Prothrombin time
- Alb:
-
Serum albumin
- OGTT:
-
Oral glucose tolerance test
- FBS:
-
Fasting blood sugar
- TAI:
-
Total alcohol intake; *p< 0.05; **p< 0.01
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Nakatsukasa, H., Watanabe, A., Kobayashi, M. et al. Characteristic features of plasma amino acid, plasma pancreatic glucagon, serum insulin concentrations in cirrhotic patients with histories of chronic alcohol consumption. Gastroenterol Jpn 19, 110–115 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02806932
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02806932