Ammonia Inhibits Protein Synthesis in Slices from Young Rat Brain

Abstract
NH4Cl, widely used as an inhibitor of lysosomal protein degradation, strongly inhibits protein synthesis in neocortical slices from 10-day-old rats at a concentration of 10 mmol/l. Its usefulness in experiments with brain tissue is doubted. The possible meaning of the finding with respect to ammonia toxicity is briefly discussed.