Summary
Disturbances in the metabolism of monoamine neurotransmitters may be implicated in the development of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in human liver disease. In order to evaluate this possibility, amino acid precursors of monoamines, monoamines and some of their metabolites were measured in homogenates of prefrontal cortex (PFCo) dissected from brain tissue obtained at autopsy from seven cirrhotic patients who died in hepatic coma and an equal number of control subjects, free from neurological, psychiatric and hepatic diseases, and matched for age and time interval from death to freezing of autopsied brain samples. Amino acids were measured using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection and monoamines were measured by HPLC with electrochemical detection. In brain tissue of cirrhotic patients, phenylalanine (PHE) and tyrosine (TYR) levels were found to be increased by 141% and 71% (p<0.01) respectively; concentrations of dopamine and its metabolites, 3-methoxytyramine (3-MT) and homovanillic acid (HVA) were unchanged. Levels of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) and serotonin (5-HT) were likewise unchanged but levels of the 5-HT metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were found to be increased by 72% (p<0.05) in PFCo of cirrhotic patients vs the controls. These results suggest that alterations of the 5-HT system may play an important role in the pathogenesis of certain neurological symptoms associated with HE in humans.
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Bergeron, M., Reader, T.A., Layrargues, G.P., Butterworth, R.F. (1989). Biogenic Amines in Hepatic Encephalopathy: Evidence for Increased Serotonin Turnover in Human Brain. In: Butterworth, R.F., Layrargues, G.P. (eds) Hepatic Encephalopathy. Experimental Biology and Medicine, vol 22. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4506-3_27
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4506-3_27
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