An animal model of hepatotoxicity associated with halothane anesthesia.

Hepatic necrosis was induced in rats by a single exposure to 1 per cent halothane in oxygen following pretreatment with a single dose of Aroclor 1254, a polychlorinated biphenyl. The hepatic lesion was centrilobular and multifocal, and morphologically similar to that reported to occur in man. In-vitro incubation with 14C-halothane indicated an enhanced covalent binding of halothane metabolites to hepatic microsomal macromolecules, particularly lipids, following Aroclor 1254 pretreatment. Lipoperoxidation of microsomal unsaturated fatty acids was not observed with these animals.