Novel Ammonia-Lowering Agents for Hepatic Encephalopathy

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a common complication of cirrhosis, leading to frequent hospitalizations. Because ammonia is thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of HE, therapies specifically aimed at reducing ammonia levels have been developed for conditions causing hyperammonemia, including HE. Ammonia scavengers have been used in HE patients, leading to improvements in symptoms. Bowel cleansing with polyethylene glycol has also been studied recently, resulting in more rapid improvement in acute HE compared with lactulose. Extracorporeal devices have been used in cases of refractory HE but currently are used primarily in research settings and not approved for clinical management for HE.

Keywords: AST-120; Benzoate; Cirrhosis; Glycerol phenylbutyrate; MARS; Ornithine phenylacetate; PEG; Polyethylene glycol.

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