ABSTRACT

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common systemic disorder which is often encountered by anesthesiologists and associated with serious complications. Animal and clinical studies investigating the effects of volatile anesthetics and diabetes on organ functions are ongoing. In this study, we aimed to examine the histopathological and biochemical effects of sevoflurane and desflurane on hepatic functions in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.

A total of 36 rats were randomly assigned into six groups: control group (Group C), diabetic control group (Group DC), desflurane group (Group D), sevoflurane group (Group S), diabetes-desflurane group (Group DD), and diabetes-sevoflurane group (Group DS). A single dose STZ 55 mg/kg was intraperitoneally injected to the diabetic groups. Diabetes was defined as having a blood glucose level of ≥250 mg/dL at 72 hours. At four weeks, desflurane 6% and sevoflurane 2% were administered in 100% oxygen over two hours. All anesthetized rats were administered intraperitoneal ketamine 100 mg/kg. Blood samples were collected from the abdominal aorta and all rats were sacrificed. Using the liver tissues, mean scores of injury (MSI) and the extent of Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substance (TBARS) were identified using and paraoxonase (PON) activities of anti-oxidant enzymes.

Desflurane and sevoflurane increased MSI in the hepatic tissue; however, it did not reach a statistical significance. The MSI scores increased in diabetic rats compared to the control group. Desflurane and sevoflurane administration to the diabetic rats produced increased MSI scores, compared to the diabetic controls; however, it indicated no statistically significant difference. In the diabetic control group, TBARS increased, while PON decreased, compared to the control group. In the groups S and D, TBARS increased, while PON decreased, compared to the controls, suggesting no statistically significant difference. In the diabetic rats undergoing desflurane and sevoflurane administration, TBARS increased, whereas PON decreased.

Our study results show that desflurane and sevoflurane may lead to a mild to moderate hepatic injury in STZ-induced diabetic rats.