Ethanol causes dysregulated muscle protein homeostasis while simultaneously causing
hepatocyte injury. Because hepatocytes are the primary site for physiological disposal of
ammonia, a cytotoxic cellular metabolite generated during a number of metabolic processes,
we determined whether hyperammonemia aggravates ethanol-induced muscle loss.
Differentiated murine C2C12 myotubes, skeletal muscle from pair-fed or ethanol-treated
mice, and human patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and healthy controls were used to quantify …