Abstract
The capacity to eliminate galactose is used clinically and experimentally as a quantitative test of liver function. Patients with liver disorders often receive drugs which induce changes in hepatic enzymes, and therefore the influence of such drugs on the galactose elimination capacity in rats was investigated. A paired experiment was performed with 11 pairs of female Wistar rats weighing about 200 g. Each pair received daily intraperitoneal injections of either phenobarbital (50 mg/kg) or isotonic saline for 8 days. The galactose elimination capacity was estimated by intravenous infusion of galactose. Phenobarbital increased significantly the weight of the liver, the lactate dehydrogenase activity, the microsomal protein, and the hepatic content of cytochrome P-450. The galactose elimination capacity was not significantly changed by phenobarbital and was related neither to the total content of cytochrome P-450 nor to the total lactate dehydrogenase activity. It is concluded that galactose elimination in rats is independent of enzyme induction by phenobarbital.
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