Uptake of Ammonia by Muscle

Abstract

AN elevated blood anemia content has been reported to be a feature of hepatic coma by a number of laboratories,^{1 2 3 4} but high levels have not always been found in this syndrome. Observations made during the course of an investigation of the cerebral uptake of ammonia^{5 , 6} suggested that the finding of a normal venous ammonia level in hepatic coma might well be due to an uptake of ammonia by muscle. The following data show that this is indeed so, and that in the presence of a significantly increased arterial ammonia level the muscle can remove an amount of ammonia sufficient to . . .