ADMINISTRATION OF THE ANESTHETIC ISOFLURANE TO MICE - A MODEL FOR ACUTE INTERMITTENT PORPHYRIA

The effects of isoflurane, a commonly used volatile anesthetic, on the activity of some haem enzymes in liver, kidney, and blood, and glucose content in liver and blood were studied. Mice were injected with different doses of the drug (0.5-6 mL/kg) and killed at varying intervals after injection (5-240 min). Within this dose range, optimal effects on alteration of haem metabolism were obtained at 2 mL/kg. The time-response profile for each enzyme was different. Blood porphobilinogenase (PBGase) and deaminase showed lower activities 20 min after anesthesia. This diminution coupled with the induction of delta-aminolevulinate synthetase activity observed soon after anesthesia (5 min) would fit well with the expected biochemical changes occurring in acute intermittent porphyria, indicating that this may be a suitable animal model for this disease.