title: Effects of the inhalational anesthetics halothane and sevoflurane on an experimental model of hepatic injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hepatic injury after inhalational anesthesia is controversial. Studies have suggested that inhalational agents generate an immune response that can provoke hepatic injury. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of the inhalational agents halothane and sevoflurane on the liver of rats submitted to hypoxia and reperfusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty Wistar rats, pretreated with 0.1% phenobarbital for 5 days, with discontinuation of the drug 24 hours before the experiment to cause hepatic injury, were used. Animals were distributed in five groups of six rats each. The control group (C) did not receive any treatment; in the F group, phenobarbital was used to induce hepatic injury; the Hypoxia group was submitted to 14% oxygen (O(2)); the H group received 1% halothane and 14% O(2); and the S group received 2% sevoflurane and 14% O(2). Twenty-four hours after exposure to the gases, blood samples were collected to evaluate transaminases (AST and ALT), and liver samples were collected for histological evaluation. Kruskal-Wallis Analysis of Variance and the Newman-Keuls test were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Enzymatic activity mean values of AST (280.33, for halothane, 181, for sevoflurane) and ALT (235 for halothane, and 48.33, for sevoflurane) did not show significant differences, and all groups showed elevated values. Compared to halothane on optical microscopy, sevoflurane had lower indices of morphologic changes with p=0.045, for steatosis, p=0.0075, for inflammatory infiltrate, and p=0.0074, for necrosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared to the halothane group, sevoflurane did not show injuries of the liver parenchyma on optical microscopy.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Brazil. andsoubhia@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Andrea Fogaça
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Soubhia
authors.forename: Susi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lauz
authors.forename: Edna Frasson de Souza
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Montero
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menezes
authors.forename: Luciane Bicca
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Mespaque
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Facin
mesh_terms: D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000818:Animals; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000209:etiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006221:Halothane / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008738:Methyl Ethers / Q000009:adverse effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D000077149:Sevoflurane
chemical_list: D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D000077149:Sevoflurane; D006221:Halothane