Glucose Permeability of Human Erythrocytes and the Effects of Inhalation Anesthetics, Oxygen, and Carbon Dioxide **

Fundamental to the question of where and how anesthetics act at the cellular level and what their effects may be on cell membranes is the question of whether anesthetics alter the permeability of cell membranes to glucose. The present study was designed to investigate the effect, if any, of inhalation anesthetics on the passage of glucose across a particular type of human cell membrane, the red cell membrane. Human erythrocytes were employed not only because of their ready availability, but also because although they do consume glucose, the rate at which they do is so low' compared to the rate at which glucose penetrates erythrocytes, that it becomes possible to study the effects of anesthetics on the rate of transfer of glucose cell membranes independently of any concurrent effects of the anesthetics on glucose consumption by cells. Experiments were also designed to determine whether glucose permeability of red cells was oxygen dependent and whether carbon dioxide concentrations influenced glucose permeability.