Effect of inflammation on the metabolism of antipyrine, lidocaine and propranolol in isolated rat hepatocytes.

A decrease of the hepatic intrinsic clearance could contribute to the increase of the plasma concentrations of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein-bound drugs such as propranolol in animals and humans with inflammation. Therefore, the influence of inflammation upon the metabolism of propranolol and another high clearance drug, lidocaine, and of the low clearance drug antipyrine, was studied in isolated rat hepatocytes. For comparative purposes, the influence of the enzyme inhibitor SKF 525A (100 mg/kg i.p.) was also evaluated. Turpentine pretreatment of the rats significantly decreased the metabolism of the three drugs by the hepatocytes; the decrease was least pronounced for propranolol. The inhibitory effect of turpentine-induced inflammation was somewhat lower than that of SKF 525A. These results are in agreement with the results found for the same drugs in the 9,000-g supernatant fraction of the rat liver and point to a marked decrease of intrinsic clearance in some types of inflammation.