Influence of alcohol feeding and a choline deficiency on some enzymes of ammonia detoxification in the rat liver

This study demonstrated that fatty infiltration of the liver produced by a choline deficient diet is accompanied by a high degree of damage to the ammonia detoxification enzymes of the liver. Assays for arginase and ornithine transcarbamylase showed a marked loss of both enzymes in livers on a choline deficient diet. No change was observed in livers from animals on a high alcohol intake with an adequate diet. Neither the alcohol intake nor the choline deficient diet changed the levels of another enzyme involved in ammonia metabolism, glutamic dehydrogenase.