Relationship of glucose intolerance and indocyanine green clearance to respiratory enzyme levels in human cirrhotic liver.

The relationship of glucose intolerance and indocyanine green clearance to respiratory enzyme levels in liver mitochondria was studied along with standard liver function tests in 40 patients (8 cirrhosis, 19 cirrhosis with hepatoma, 13 non-cirrhotic with hepatoma). There was a negative correlation between cytochrome a(+a3) concentrations and phosphorylative activity per unit of cytochrome a(+a3) (r = -0.75, p less than 0.01), but no correlation between ICG-K and cytochrome a(+a3) concentrations. Cytochrome a(+a3) concentrations in cirrhotic patients with linear oral glucose tolerance pattern, characterized with no return toward normal glucose levels within 120 minutes after an oral glucose load, increased to 1.45 +/- 0.11 (10(-10) mol/mg of protein) compared with 0.90 +/- 0.07 in cirrhotic patients with parabolic OGTT pattern, characterized with a return toward normal glucose levels within 120 minutes (p less than 0.01) (0.82 +/- 0.02 in control patients without liver diseases). The former had high operative mortality regardless of ICG-K value and the latter had virtually uneventful clinical courses. It was suggested that increased cytochrome a(+a3) concentrations and impaired glucose tolerance might be responsible for decreased hepatic functional reserve and poor prognosis in cirrhotics.