Effects of total parenteral nutrition with nucleoside and nucleotide mixture on D-galactosamine-induced liver injury in rats.

The effect of a nucleoside-nucleotide mixture on liver injury of rats induced by D-galactosamine was studied by examining changes in function and histopathology of the liver. Animals with liver damage received total parenteral nutrition with glucose and amino acids supplemented with a nucleoside-nucleotide mixture containing inosine, cytidine, GMP, uridine and thymidine, or with uridine which inhibits galactosamine injury, or with liver cell extract containing flavin adenine dinucleotide and nucleic acid derivatives. As control, animals with liver damage received total parenteral nutrition with glucose and amino acids only. The serum GOT and GPT concentrations were significantly lower in the group supplemented with nucleoside-nucleotide mixture than those in other groups. A large dose (1.2 g/kg) of uridine inhibited liver injury, but a lower dose (0.14 g/kg) did not have any effect, whereas nucleoside-nucleotide mixture containing the same amount of uridine inhibited the injury. Liver cell extract also did not improve liver function. Thus infusion of a physiological and balanced mixture of nucleosides or nucleotides may improve liver function in rats with liver injury.