Effects of benorylate and impacina on the metabolism of cultured hepatocytes.

To directly evaluate the effects of benorylate and impacina on liver metabolism, we have adapted the use of cultured adult rat hepatocytes as a biological model. Cells were exposed to sub-toxic levels of the xenobiotic which were incorporated into the culture media. This was followed by the evaluation in treated cultures of some biochemical functions typical of the liver, namely, gluconeogenesis, glycogen metabolism, synthesis of plasma proteins and ureogenesis, and a comparison made with non-treated controls. Benorylate impaired glucose release by hepatocytes to the medium and net accumulation of glycogen was detected. Urea production also diminished (20%) in benorylate-treated cells. Impacina significantly increased the synthesis of albumin and tranferrin when added at therapeutic levels into the culture medium and did not alter other biochemical functions of the hepatocytes.