Prevention of methionine and ammonia-induced coma by intravenous infusion of a branched chain amino acid solution to rats with liver injury.

The prevention of hepatic encephalopathy by the intravenous infusion of a branched chain amino acid (BCAA)-enriched solution was investigated in methionine and ammonium acetate-treated rats whose liver was already injured with carbon tetrachloride. A BCAA-enriched solution protected the rats from entering a coma. The brain BCAA contents became higher, and the brain methionine and tyrosine levels and the ratio of glutamine to glutamic acid in the brain diminished after administering the BCAA-enriched solution.