[Studies on plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine contents and vegetative nervous function in liver syndrome]

To study the characteristics of plasma norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) contents alteration and vegetative nervous function disturbances in patients with Liver Syndrome of TCM.

Subjects were selected by combination of disease diagnosis and Syndrome Differentiation. Plasma NE and E contents were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electrochemical detector. The vegetative nervous function were assessed by comprehensive analysis of sympathetic and parasympathetic hyperfunction symptoms, physiologic indexes and physical loading tests.

Patients of Liver Excess Syndrome had an elevated plasma NE and E contents and with the vegetative nervous system disturbance mainly hypersympathetic. On the contrary, patients of Liver Deficiency Syndrome had an lowered plasma NE and E contents and with the vegetative nervous system disturbance mainly hyperparasympathetic.

Plasma NE and E contents and vegetative nervous function disturbance can be taken as the auxiliary laboratory diagnostic indexes for Syndrome Differentiation of Liver Excess and Liver Deficiency.