Ultrastructural evidence of the hepatotoxic effect of halothane in rats following in-utero exposure.

Eight pregnant Sprague-Dawley rates were exposed to 10 ppm halothane 8 hours/day and 5 days/week throughout pregnancy. Liver samples were obtained from the pups for electron microscopy. Degenerative changes such as myelin-figure formation, focal-cytoplasmic degradation; fatty changes and cellular necrosis were observed. Leukocytic infiltration and phagocytosis of the cellular debris by Kupffer cells were also evident. The present investigation has demonstrated the hepatotoxic effects of halothane on the foetal liver. The role of halothane as an occupational hazard is considered.