Effects of portal vein ligation on sex hormone metabolism in male rats: relationship to lowered hepatic cytochrome P450 levels.

Hepatic cytochrome P450 levels in male rats fall after portal vein ligation, a procedure that produces total hepatic bypass of portal blood. The present study was undertaken to examine whether changes in sex hormone metabolism could account for these lowered cytochrome P450 levels. Portal vein ligation resulted in testicular atrophy and low serum testosterone concentrations. Serum luteinizing hormone levels were also reduced, suggesting that testicular atrophy was secondary to suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Serum estrone and estradiol concentrations were significantly increased after portal vein ligation, while the magnitude and delayed onset of increases in urinary total estrogen excretion suggested that this was due largely to increased estrogen production. In male rats, both castration (at 12 wk) and exogenous estrogen administration resulted in changes in hepatic cytochrome P450 levels and ethylmorphine N-demethylase activity that were qualitatively similar to those seen after portal vein ligation. In female and castrated male rats, however, cytochrome P450 was not affected by portal vein ligation. Testosterone supplementation corrected the changes of cytochrome P450 levels in castrated male rats but did not have this effect in portal vein-ligated male rats. It is concluded that changes in sex hormone metabolism do occur after portal vein ligation and may contribute to alterations in cytochrome P450 and drug-metabolizing enzyme activity. Decreased levels of serum testosterone, however, do not alone account for the changes in hepatic drug metabolism in this model, and suppression of a hypothalamic-pituitary factor appears to be important.