Glutathione depletion following inhalation anesthesia

Glutathione depletion following inhalation of halogenated anesthetics was investigated as a possible mechanism of toxic reactions associated with anesthesia. Concentrations of reduced glutathione were measured in the blood, liver, lung and kidney of the mouse after anesthesia with enflurane, fluroxene, halothane, isoflurane, methoxyflurane, or trichloroethylene. The anesthetic had no effect on glutathione concentrations in tissues except when fluroxene was used. After two hours of fluroxene anesthesia, glutathione in liver, lung, kidney, and blood was depleted by 93, 85, 85, and 61 per cent, respectively. The depletion was dose-dependent and was more extensive in animals anesthetized after phenobarbital pretreatment. Glutathione was also depleted in livers and lungs of rats anesthetized with fluroxene (60 and 38 per cent, respectively). In blood of rhesus monkeys anesthetized with fluroxene, glutathione was depleted by only 13 per cent. Extents of glutathione depletion are related to fluroxene toxicities in the three species studied.