Inhibition of urea synthesis by pent-4-enoic acid: potentiation by ammonia.

Pent-4-enoic acid inhibited ureagenesis approximatively 90% in rat hepatocytes incubated with pyruvate, ammonia and ornithine. Inhibition of ureagenesis was much less with alanine as substrate (approximatively 10%). The addition of ammonia led to a drastic dose-dependent inhibition of ureagenesis by pent-4-enoate. Half-maximum effect of ammonia was observed at 0.2 mM concentration. Concomitant cellular concentrations of N-acetylglutamate were also drastically modified by the addition of ammonia as was the accumulation of citrulline. These data suggest that ammonia may seriously interfere with the metabolism of pent-4-enoic acid and leads to a dramatic potentiation of its toxicity.