In patients with liver cirrhosis divided into 4 groups (from group A through D), amino acids involved in the urea cycle are studied. Group A: 25 patients with liver cirrhosis of so called "KOU"type and 15 with one of so called "OTSU"type. Group B: 10 patients with encephalopathy and 30 without encephalopathy. Group C: 10 patients with fatty liver causing OTSU type liver cirrhosis, 23 with hepatic fibrosis and 15 with subacute hepatitis causing KOU type liver cirrhosis. Group D: 5 patients with hepatic cancer and 10 in the terminal stages of liver cancers.
The findings were:
1. Amino acids levels in the blood associated with the urea cycle, namely, Orn, Glu, Aspn, Asn, Arg, Git, and Gln, are elevated in the cases of severe liver dysfunction. The elevations are marked in Orn, Asn, and Glu.
2. In these cases, Glu exhibits a greater increasing rate than Gln does. Therefore, it was found that Gln/Glu depression is much correlated to the progress of the liver dysfunction.
3. These findings suggest that the figures may be the reliable indices to know the amino acids metabOlism levels in the liver, which is the main organ of the protein metabolism in the urea cycle and that they may be useful to serve the patients with pre and postoperative alimentary therapy.