Systemic arterial vasodilatation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of sodium retention in cirrhosis. Hydrophobic bile acids, which have vasodilatory actions, may be involved. Ursodeoxycholic acid, a hydrophilic bile acid, could potentially decrease systemic arterial vasodilatation, possibly due to its antioxidant effects, and improve sodium handling in cirrhosis. The effects of ursodeoxycholic acid on systemic, renal and forearm haemodynamics, liver function and renal sodium handling were assessed in vasodilated cirrhotic patients with refractory ascites treated with a transjugular intrahepatic porto-systemic shunt (TIPS). Eight cirrhotic patients with refractory ascites without TIPS placement served as controls for the sodium handling effects of ursodeoxycholic acid. From 1 month post TIPS, seven patients were studied before, after 1 month of treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid (15 mg·day-1·kg-1) and at 1 month follow-up. Lipid peroxidation products were used as indices of its antioxidant effects. Ursodeoxycholic acid caused a significant reduction in sodium excretion in both groups (P< 0.05). This, in the post-TIPS patients (urinary sodium excretion: 35±8 mmol/day at 1 month versus 93±21 mmol/day at baseline, P< 0.05), was due to a significant increase in sodium reabsorption proximal to the distal tubule (P< 0.05), without any significant changes in systemic, renal or forearm haemodynamics, or in liver function. No significant change in lipid peroxidation products was observed. We conclude that: (i) in cirrhotic patients with refractory ascites, ursodeoxycholic acid causes sodium retention, (ii) the abnormality in sodium handling in the post-TIPS cirrhotic patients appears to be the result of a direct effect on the proximal nephron, suggesting that factors other than systemic vasodilatation also contribute to sodium retention in cirrhosis, (iii) caution should be exercised in administering ursodeoxycholic acid in cirrhotic patients with ascites.
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May 1999
Research Article|
March 25 1999
Effects of ursodeoxycholic acid on systemic, renal and forearm haemodynamics and sodium homoeostasis in cirrhotic patients with refractory ascites
Florence WONG;
*Department of Medicine, Toronto Hospital, University of Toronto, 200 Elizabeth Street, Toronto M5G 2C4, Ontario, Canada
Correspondence: Dr F. Wong.
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Arieh BOMZON;
Arieh BOMZON
†Department of Pharmacology, Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 9649, Haifa 31096, Israel
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Johane ALLARD;
Johane ALLARD
*Department of Medicine, Toronto Hospital, University of Toronto, 200 Elizabeth Street, Toronto M5G 2C4, Ontario, Canada
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Peter LIU;
Peter LIU
‡Department of Nuclear Cardiology, Toronto Hospital, University of Toronto, 200 Elizabeth Street, Toronto M5G 2C4, Ontario, Canada
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Laurence BLENDIS
Laurence BLENDIS
*Department of Medicine, Toronto Hospital, University of Toronto, 200 Elizabeth Street, Toronto M5G 2C4, Ontario, Canada
§Institute of Gastroenterology, Ichilov Hospital, University of Tel Aviv Medical Centre, 6 Weizman Street, Tel Aviv 64239, Israel
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Clin Sci (Lond) (1999) 96 (5): 467–474.
Article history
Received:
August 03 1998
Revision Received:
November 16 1998
Accepted:
January 27 1999
Citation
Florence WONG, Arieh BOMZON, Johane ALLARD, Peter LIU, Laurence BLENDIS; Effects of ursodeoxycholic acid on systemic, renal and forearm haemodynamics and sodium homoeostasis in cirrhotic patients with refractory ascites. Clin Sci (Lond) 1 May 1999; 96 (5): 467–474. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/cs0960467
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