Propionate loading test for liver function during experimental liver necrosis in sheep

The first objective of this work was to study the conversion of propionate to glucose by liver of the sheep during experimentally induced liver necrosis. An additional objective was to determine the most appropriate sampling time after a propionate load has been given to use glucose concentration as an aid in the diagnosis of disturbed liver function. Sodium propionate (3 mmol/kg) was injected IV into 6 healthy sheep before and after they were given carbon tetrachloride (20% CCl4 in mineral oil; 0.25 ml of CCl4/kg, orally). To differentiate the effects of liver necrosis from the effects of decrease in food intake after CCl4 administration, 5 sheep which were fasted for 2 days, but not given CCl4, were studied. Microscopically, liver necrosis was observed, as well as an increase of fatty infiltration in nonnecrotic liver tissue. After sheep were given CCl4, the plasma liver-specific enzyme activities (namely, those of iditol dehydrogenase and gamma-glutamyl-transferase) were elevated. Microscopic and enzymatic changes were not observed in fasted animals. Serum sulfobromophthalein (BSP) half-life (t1/2) was markedly increased in the sheep given CCl4 treatment (t1/2 = 22.8 +/- 11 minutes) when compared with the t1/2 before treatment (t1/2 = 2.5 +/- 0.2 minutes). The BSP t1/2 did not differ between fed and fasted sheep. The t1/2 of the IV propionate load increased significantly, from 6.9 +/- 0.4 minutes in the control sheep to 12.8 +/- 2 minutes in the CCl4-treated sheep, whereas an insignificant increase was seen after fasting (6.8 +/- 1 minutes to 8.3 +/- 1 minutes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)