Abstract
AMMONIA is a normal constituent of portal blood1, the concentration in the mesenteric veins draining the distal portion of the small intestine, cæcum, and upper colon being 50 per cent higher than that in the peripheral circulation2. Most of the ammonia in the body is produced as a consequence of bacterial action on nitrogenous substrates within the intestine2. Investigations with isotopically labelled urea in several species of animals have revealed that urea is hydrolysed in the alimentary tract, even when administered parenterally3, and, in man, 0.3 gm. of urea is hydrolysed per hour, and 15–30 per cent of the urea synthesized in normal subjects is continually being destroyed4.
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WENDEL, O., BROPHY, E. Rapid Reduction of Portal Blood Ammonia. Nature 189, 404–405 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/189404a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/189404a0
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