Effectiveness of recombinant human serum albumin in the treatment of ascites in liver cirrhosis: evidence from animal model.

1. To investigate the effectiveness of recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA) in the treatment of ascites in liver cirrhosis, we examined its effect on rats with carbon tetrachloride-induced liver cirrhosis. 2. Twenty-five percent rHSA was administered intravenously at a dose of 0.25 to 1.0 g/kg for 2 days to rats with liver cirrhosis accompanied by ascites retention and hypoalbuminemia. 3. rHSA dose dependently decreased abdominal circumference, a clinical index of ascites, with significant difference at a dose of 1.0 g/kg. 4. Although there was no significant difference, rHSA increased blood colloid osmotic pressure (b-COP) and urine volume (UV) in a nearly dose-dependent manner, with significant negative correlation between changes from baseline value in these parameters and in abdominal circumference. 5. These findings suggest that rHSA has abdominal circumference-decreasing action associated with b-COP improvement and UV increase and that it could be effective as a therapeutic drug for ascites in patients with liver cirrhosis accompanied by hypoalbuminemia.