Effects of Intravenous Administration of Taurocholic Acid on Hepatic Monoamine Oxidase A and B Activities in Rats with Choledocho-Caval Shunt

The effects of intravenous administration of high concentration of taurocholic acid (TCA) on monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B activities in rat liver mitochondria and microsomes were studied. These liver subcellular organelles and serum MAO activities were determined from the experimental rats with choledocho-caval shunt (CCS). The Michaelis-Menten constants in these hepatic enzymes were also measured. The activities of mitochondrial MAO A and B, and microsomal MAO B as well as their $V_{max}$ values were found to be decreased significantly in CCS plus TCA injected group then in the control group, such as CCS alone groups. However their $K_m$ values in the experimental groups did not vary. MAO of serum appeared in the CCS plus TCA injected groups only. The above results suggest that TCA represses biosynthesis of the MAO in the liver. The MAO of serum is believed to be caused by the increment of membrane permeability of hepatocytes upon TCA mediated liver cell necrosis.