Improved blood flow and protein synthesis in the postischemic liver following infusion of dopamine

To study the effects of dopamine on hepatic blood flow and protein synthesis in a condition with reduced liver blood flow, dopamine (5 micrograms X kg-1 X min-1) or saline was infused intravenously following a period of liver ischemia in rats. Hepatic blood flow was measured by xenon washout technique and protein synthesis by leucine incorporation into proteins in incubated liver slices. Blood flow and protein synthesis in the postischemic liver were restituted faster and more completely in dopamine-treated rats suggesting that dopamine infusion can be of beneficial effect on liver metabolism in situations with reduced hepatic blood flow.