Nitrous oxide does not hinder the repair of halothane-induced hepatic injury in the rat.
Nitrous oxide administration may limit DNA synthesis by inactivating methionine synthetase, and may thus hamper the repair of an injured organ such as the liver. To test this possibility, we pretreated rats with phenobarbital and exposed them to 0.3 MAC halothane in 9% oxygen for 46 min, followed immediately and again 24 hr later by 70% nitrous oxide (0.25 MAC) at an FIO2 of 0.30 for 2 hr. The results from this group were compared with an anesthetic control group in which 0.35% isoflurane (0.25 MAC) was substituted for the nitrous oxide. Additional groups were given a third exposure to nitrous oxide or isoflurane 48 hr after the halothane exposure. All rats were killed 24 hr after their last anesthetic exposure. A second (nonanesthetic) control group of phenobarbital-pretreated rats received 0.3 MAC halothane in 9% oxygen for 46 min and no anesthetic thereafter. They were killed 24, 48, or 72 hr later. Histologic changes in the livers of rats did not differ among the groups given nitrous oxide, isoflurane, or no additional anesthetic after exposure to halothane alone. Thus neither nitrous oxide nor isoflurane appears to hinder the repair of hepatic injury produced by halothane in the hypoxic rat model.
D013766:5-Methyltetrahydrofolate-Homocysteine S-Methyltransferase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D000818:Animals; D001949:Bretylium Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006221:Halothane / Q000633:toxicity*; D007530:Isoflurane / Q000633:toxicity; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008115:Liver Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009609:Nitrous Oxide / Q000633:toxicity*; D010634:Phenobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D001949:Bretylium Compounds; D004247:DNA; D007530:Isoflurane; D013766:5-Methyltetrahydrofolate-Homocysteine S-Methyltransferase; D009609:Nitrous Oxide; C045166:bretylium; D006221:Halothane; D010634:Phenobarbital