Hepatic effects of propofol in the hypoxic rat model

Year 1991, Volume: 4 Issue: 3, 89 - 99, 01.08.1991

N. Baykan F.y. Göğüş A. Sav

Abstract

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the effects of propofol on liver parenchyma in the presence of hypoxic conditions of different levels for different durations of time. 64 Sprague-Dawley rats of both sexes were used in the experiment. They were divided into two groups each containing 32 subjects. In one group rats were given propofol 2 mg/kg intraperitoneally, rats in the other group had no such administration. These two groups were divided into four subgroups (n=8). The subgroups were subjected to mild hypoxia (14% 02) and severe hypoxia (10% 02) for both short term (15 minutes) and a longer term (30 minutes). At the end of the experiment after decapitation, hepatectomy was performed and the specimen sections were examined using a light microscope. The histopathological examination of specimens from the liver of the subjects exposed to severe hypoxia for 30 minutes with propofol showed a significant decrease of congestion, disappearence of vacuolization and an increase in granularity when compared with the specimens of the control group under similar conditions without propofol. However observations of the specimens from the short term experiments either with or without propofol administration did not show such observations. On the other hand in the mild hypoxic group, the specimens from the subgroup treated with propofol showed insignificant granulation and congestion when compared to those without propofol treatment. It is thus concluded that, propofol may protect the liver from the effects of hypoxia by decreasing the oxygen demand of the organ.

Keywords

Anesthetics, intravenous: propofol, Liver: hepatotoxicity, Toxicity: hepatic, Hypoxia: liver

References

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