Hepatic cytochrome oxidase in rats with microsurgical cholestasis or portocaval shunt.
OBJECTIVE
portocaval shunt and extrahepatic cholestasis are experimental models of chronic hepatic insufficiency of different etiology and histological characteristics, and which probably also differ in the mechanism of impairment of oxidative metabolism. To test this hypothesis we measured hepatic cytochrome oxidase.


METHODS
cytochrome oxidase was assayed with a histochemical technique in three groups of Wistar rats: A (n = 8) control; B (n = 8) microsurgical extrahepatic cholestasis; and C (n = 8) end-to-side portocaval shunt.


RESULTS
cytochrome oxidase activity was lowest in group B, both in the left middle (p = 0.00019) and in the inferior caudate (p = 0.00014) hepatic lobes, and was highest in group C in both hepatic lobes, especially in the left middle lobe (p = 0.0029).


CONCLUSIONS
the decrease in cytochrome oxidase activity in the liver of rats with extrahepatic cholestasis and the increase in animals subjected to portal flow deprivation demonstrate the different nature of the impairment in hepatic oxidative metabolism in these two pathological conditions.
López
L
L
Laboratorio de Psicobiología, Facultad de Psicobiología, Universidad de Oviedo, Asturias, España.
Begega
A
A
Arias
J L
JL
Lorente
L
L
Aller
M A
MA
Durán Poveda
M
M
Arias
J
J
D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D001651:Cholestasis, Extrahepatic / Q000201:enzymology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D008930:Mitochondria, Liver / Q000201:enzymology*; D011167:Portacaval Shunt, Surgical; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D015415:Biomarkers; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV