Rabbit model simulating transient hyperglycinemia following transurethral prostatectomy.

Glycine was intravenously injected in rabbits and resulted in a dose dependent hyperglycinemia. A dose of 10mmol/kg was sufficient to achieve plasma levels of 10 to 16mM comparable to serum levels in patients at the end of a transurethral prostatectomy. The experiments documented that hyperglycinemia is associated with a significant increase of this substance in tissues outside the plasma compartment. Glycine loading resulted in a tenfold elevation of this amino acid in cerebrospinal fluid 10 minutes after injection. In retina and vitreous humor a five- to tenfold increase in glycine content was observed at 10 minutes post injection while in the anterior chamber fluid the maximum increase appeared at 30 minutes.Significant increases of the glycine content were found in different cerebral structures at 30 minutes post administration.The significant elevations of this neurotransmitter within the central nervous system are prerequisites for possible toxic side effects in the course of transurethral prostatectomy (TURP). Hyperglycinemia might be involved in the pathogenesis of visual disturbances following transurethral prostatectomy and the other neurological complications of TURP syndrome. Our observations add more evidence to this hypothesis.