Abstract
In order to elucidate the significance of ammonia in the myocardium, the dynamic changes of the related substances were studied mainly in the rabbit myocardium. In the experimentally hypertrophied heart, ammonia and urea were slightly in-creased, while ATP, high energy phosphate and total nucleotide were decreased. A significant negative correlation was noted between total nucleotide and heart weight/body weight. When ammonia was administered, increases in ammonia, glutamine, and urea were noted in both hypertrophied and normal heart. When acute pressure loading through intermittent obstruction of rabbit aorta was conducted, increases in ammonia, urea, and AMP were noted in both hypertrophied and normal heart while glutamine initially decreased and then increased in the normal heart. ATP and total nucleotide showed a tendency of decrease in both normal and hypertrophied heart.
