Na+/K+-ATPase activity and GABA uptake in astroglial cell-enriched fractions and synaptosomes derived from rats in the early stage of experimental hepatogenic encephalopathy.

Na+/K+-ATPase activity and GABA uptake were measured in the bulk isolated astrocytes and synaptosomes from rats in which an early, metabolic phase of hepatogenic encephalopathy (HE) was induced by the treatment with thioacetamide (TAA). Both the enzyme activity and the amino acid neurotransmitter uptake were increased above control in the astroglial fraction but remained unaffected in synaptosomes. The results lend support to the earlier observations that the astrocytes are the primary target cells in HE. Furthermore, they may be interpreted as indicating that the early astroglial reaction to HE comprises stimulation of the astrocytes' function, especially concerning clearance of K+ ions and neurotransmitters from the extracellular space of CNS.