Effect of galactosamine-induced hepatitis on the aerobic and anaerobic metabolism of the rat exposed to high-altitude hypoxia.

Galactosamine-induced hepatitis caused a marked increase in plasma lactate and pyruvate, but completely abolished the increase in ketone bodies in the rat exposed to an 8000 m simulated altitude. Plasma free fatty acid as the precursor of ketone bodies was higher in the galactosamine-treated rats during and after an exposure to 8000 m altitude. Treatment of the rat with galactosamine markedly reduced activities of citrate synthase, fumarase, glutamate dehydrogenase and fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase, but increased hexokinase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase in the liver. The effect of galactosamine-induced hepatitis on the energy metabolism can be explained by a reduction of mitochondrial oxidative enzymes and gluconeogenesis, and involves a shift of the aerobic metabolism to anaerobic glycolysis at high altitude.