Effects of sodium dichloroacetate in awake, healthy, Yucatan miniature swine.

Four healthy, fully conscious, 50- to 80-kg Yucatan miniature swine were fitted with carotid artery and jugular, portal, and hepatic vein catheters and hepatic artery and portal vein flow cuffs to determine transhepatic kinetics and insulin secretion. Three days later, after a 3-hour control period, the pigs were given IV sodium dichloroacetate (30 mg/kg of body weight as a bolus and 30 mg/kg/hr, as an infusion) for 6 hours. Arterial lactate concentrations decreased during the dichloroacetate infusion, but pyruvate concentrations were unaltered. The whole body rate of appearance and disappearance of glucose decreased, but plasma glucose concentrations did not change markedly. Limb skin surface temperatures increased, indicating a peripheral vasodilatory effect. Dichloroacetate had little effect on mean arterial pressure and hepatosplanchnic blood flow. Dichloroacetate may be effective as a hypolactatemic agent for lactic acidosis in pigs.