Liver function and anesthetic metabolism in rats with chronic renal impairment.

Patients and rats with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) anesthetized with enflurane do not have significantly greater increases in postoperative serum inorganic fluoride levels when compared with subjects with normal renal function. The authors chose to investigate whether this observation is due to decreased anesthetic metabolism, secondary to the renal disease. Thus, male Fischer 344 rats with surgically induced CRI were studied to determine the effect of severe renal impairment: first, on in vivo hepatic function as measured by a serum liver enzyme profile, and second, on in vitro hepatic metabolism as indicated by microsomal anesthetic defluorination rates and cytochrome P-450 levels. Rats were operated on in two stages, 1 week apart, and assigned to one of three groups. Group 1 rats had a capsule stripping of each kidney. Group 2 rats had a capsule stripping of one kidney and then a nephrectomy of the other. Group 3 rats had the upper and lower poles of one kidney excised and then a nephrectomy of the other. There was no change in renal function in rats from Group 1 and 2. Chronic renal insufficiency in Group 3 rats was manifested by threefold elevations in serum creatinine and urea nitrogen levels and reciprocal decreases in clearances. After 89-98 days, blood was obtained for a serum liver enzyme profile and rats were killed for determination of in vitro hepatic metabolism. There were no changes suggestive of hepatic damage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)