Ammonia Intoxication and Intermediary Metabolism

Abstract

Summary

Ammonia intoxication of rats markedly increased blood glucose, pyruvate. α-ketoglutarate and ammonia concentrations. Ammonia intoxication of horses produced similar changes in the blood metabolites and the sequence of these events was as follows: blood ammonia increased and α-ketoglutarate decreased during the first 2 hr, but then increased very rapidly. These changes were followed by increases in blood glucose and pyruvate concentrations. Ammonia intoxication did not affect liver mono-, di- or triphosphates of adenine and guanine. These findings indicate that a primary lesion in ammonia intoxication is a derangement of intermediary carbohydrate metabolism.

This research was financially supported by a grant from The Nutrition Foundation and U.S. Public Health Service, Grant No. GM-16538-01. The authors acknowledge the assistance of Mabel Goetchius, John Milner and Gary Gibson.