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Study of Enzyme Induction by Anesthetic Amounts Found in Ambient Air.

Berman ML; Bruce DL

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio 1973 Mar:5 pages

00080983

The possibility of enzyme induction from the trace amounts of anesthetics found in operating room ambient anesthetic gases was studied in laboratory tests on randomly selected rats placed in exposure chambers into which air was either passed directly with no additions or with addition of nitrous-oxide (10024972) and halothane (151677) in final concentrations of 500 and 15ppm, respectively. The microsomal enzymes under study are responsible for the breakdown of barbiturates and the metabolism of physiologic steroid hormones, cortisol (50237), progesterone (57830) and testosterone (58220), which are related to the physiology of gestation and to an increased rate of spontaneous abortions among female operating room personnel. The investigations failed to show correlation between exposure to trace anesthetic concentrations and induction of rat liver microsomal enzyme activity. It is suggested that the inability to obtain statistically significant changes does not necessarily mean that no induction occurred, but that with this experimental design it was not measurable. Larger groups of test animals may be required.

NIOSH-Contract; Contract-099-72-0145; Gases; Brominated-hydrocarbons; Halogenated-hydrocarbons; Enzymes; Health-care-personnel; Hormones; Operating-rooms; Anesthetic-gases;

10024-97-2; 151-67-7; 50-23-7; 57-83-0; 58-22-0;

19730301

Contract;

1973

PB82-151655

A01

Contract-099-72-0145

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio

OH;