Biochemical and morphological observations on rat liver and kidneys six months after intravenous injection of a perfluorocompound emulsion.

The histological appearance of liver and kidneys and the energy metabolism of isolated liver and kidney mitochondria were evaluated in rats 6 months after intravenous administration of 1 ml of a perfluorocompound emulsion. Both liver and kidney specimens showed neither significant histological alteration nor the presence of intracytoplasmic perfluorocompound particles. A substantial depression of the rate of ATP synthesis was observed both in liver and kidney isolated mitochondria (with respect to control mitochondria) although the magnitude of the transmembrane electrical potential was unaltered. The depression of ATP synthesis in mitochondria isolated from perfluorocompound-treated rats appeared then unrelated to the presence of perfluorocompound micelles within the cells, and might result from the interaction of either the perfluorocompound or the emulsifying agent with the mitochondrial ATP synthetase.