Effect of nicardipine infusion on the release of glutathione S-transferase following halothane anaesthesia

To assess the possible protective effect of calcium channel blockade on hepatic function after halothane anaesthesia, 80 patients were allocated randomly to receive an i.v. infusion of either nicardipine or normal saline. Plasma concentration of glutathione S-transferase B1 subunits (GST) was measured as a sensitive index of hepatic damage. Data from 53 patients were analysed. Plasma GST concentration increased significantly at 3 and 6 h after induction of anaesthesia in the placebo group (P less than 0.01), and at 3 h (P less than 0.01) and 6 h (P less than 0.05) in the nicardipine group. The administration of nicardipine resulted in a greater increase in plasma GST concentrations at 3 h than did placebo (P less than 0.05), mainly because of a greater increase in males than in females. The increase in GST at 3 h was related inversely to plasma concentration of nicardipine both at the end of the exponential infusion (P less than 0.01) and at 2 h after induction (P less than 0.05), when males had lower plasma nicardipine concentrations than females (P less than 0.05). Calcium channel blockade with nicardipine in the dose administered was not shown to reduce liver dysfunction after halothane anaesthesia.