Glucose tolerance and pancreatic islet blood flow in rats after intraperitoneal administration of different anesthetic drugs.

A comparison of the effects of different anesthetics on the pancreatic islet blood flow as measured with a microsphere technique and the blood sugar homeostasis in rats was made in rats anesthetized with an IP injection of either thiobutabarbital sodium (TB), pentobarbital sodium (PB), chloral hydrate (CH), chloral hydrate + pentobarbital (CP) or ketamine + xylazine (KX). The mean arterial blood pressure was similar (approximately 100 mm Hg) in all animals except those given KX in which a 20-30% increase was observed. The serum insulin concentrations were increased in rats given CH and CP, but not in the other groups, when compared with TB rats. An intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (2 g glucose/kg BW 15 min after induction of anesthesia) showed a marked glucose intolerance in the KZ rats, in which the glucose concentrations were elevated for 5 h. Also animals anesthetized with CP and CH were glucose intolerant when compared with TB animals. The whole pancreatic blood flow was similar in TB, PB and CP rats, but was almost doubled in CH-rats and markedly decreased in KX rats. Islet blood flow was also increased by CH and decreased by KX when compared with TB rats, whilst PB and CP did not affect the islet blood flow. It is concluded that TB and PB are suitable anesthetics for the study of pancreatic islet blood flow.