Metabolism of acetate to amino acids in brains of rats after complete hepatectomy.

The concentration of glutamine increases in the brain after hepatectomy. In the present studies the conversion of intravenously given [14C]acetate to [14C]glutamate and [14C]glutamine was studied in control rats and in rats at 6 h after complete hepatectomy. The incorporation of label into glutamate was only slightly inhibited, but the further incorporation into glutamine was greatly inhibited, after hepatectomy. These data, and previous data using [14C]glucose as precursor, indicate that synthesis of glutamine in brain is inhibited after hepatectomy, and suggest that its concentration must increase because degradation is inhibited to an even greater extent.