Effect of stress hormones on transsplanchnic balance of exogenous amino acids in healthy man

Abstract The effect of stress hormones on transsplanchnic balance of basal and infused amino acids (AA: Val, Met, Ile, Leu, Phe, Lys, His) was investigated in healthy men without and with added epinephrine (EPI) and dexamethasone (DEX). Concentrations of AA and blood glucose were measured in arterial and hepatic venous blood before and after primed-continuous (t = 120 minutes) AA infusion without (group I: controls; n = 6, 24 ± 3 years), and with intravenous (IV) EPI infusion (group II: 6 μg/min, t = −75 to 120 minutes; n = 6, 26 ± 5 years) or oral DEX pretreatment (group III: 6 mg/d for 2 days; n = 7, 26 ± 3 years). In the absence of exogenous AA, EPI was demonstrated to increase estimated hepatic plasma flow (EHPF, mL/min: 1,019 ± 133 [mean ± SD] v 737 ± 153; P v 2,802 ± 704; P