Amino acids and hepatic encephalopathy

The consideration of HE and its etiology has undergone a radical turn within the past decade. At present HE is seen in the context of severe metabolic derangements, which failure of the liver, the central biochemical powerhouse of the body, must bring with it. The increased awarenesses on the biochemical mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of HE have found, step by step, their own place in a complex but consequential mosaic of events, in which amino acid and HE are tightly linked. Clinical and experimental studies are needed to further improve the knowledge in this field, nontheless a certain number of corner-stones can be identified: A profound alteration of the central nervous system neurotransmission is responsible for most, if not all, of the symptoms characterizing HE. The plasma amino acid imbalance observed in cirrhotic patients represents a 'condicio sine qua non' HE may develop. A functional impairment of the amino acid transport systems at the level of the blood-brain barrier seems to play a crucial role in causing deleterious modifications of the synaptic neurotransmission in the central nervous system. The reduction of the brain entry of the "toxic" aromatic amino acids usually obtained by parenteral administration of especially tailored amino acid mixtures is most frequently followed by awakening from HE. In conclusion, most of the results obtained have demonstrated that HE represents a research field in which progresses in the knowledge of some of the pathogenic mechanisms have brought the investigators to new therapeutic approaches which have clearly improved the prognosis of patients suffering from this severe neuropsychiatric syndrome.