Effect of halothane on synthesis and secretion of liver proteins.

The effect of halothane on synthesis of retained and secreted proteins was investigated using isolated perfused rat livers. Anesthetic exposure rapidly inhibited synthesis of total liver proteins in a dose-dependent manner by a mechanism which appeared to involve reduced rates of both peptide chain initiation and elongation. While halothane concentrations comparable to the clinical dose resulted in small changes in protein metabolism, higher concentrations (4%) of the anesthetic had marked effects. At early time points, relative rates of albumin synthesis were unaffected by halothane, but, as anesthetic exposure was prolonged, production of albumin and of total secreted plasma proteins was inhibited more extensively than that of retained liver proteins. Thus, halothane appeared to exert differential inhibitory effects on synthesis of these two classes of liver proteins.