Mechanism of action
Synthesis of urea is carried out in a low affinity, high capacity system that exists largely in periportal hepatocytes where L-Ornithine serves both as activator of ornithine-carbamyl transferase and carbamyl phosphate synthetase and as a substrate for ureagenesis. In hepatocellular insufficiency aspartate and other decarboxylates serve as a stimulus for hepatic glutamine synthesis in the perivenous scavenger cells which may be defective in acute and chronic liver disease.