Objective: Isoflurane is widely used for inhaled general anesthesia. However, the mechanisms of isoflurane-induced cardiovascular depression are not fully understood. The effect of isoflurane on GABAA receptor expression in the NTS may underlie cardiovascular depression. Methods: The blood pressure (BP) and heart rates (HR) of conscious rats were confirmed initially using a CODA non-invasive bl...

BACKGROUND Brief isoflurane anesthesia induces neuroapoptosis in the developing rodent brain, but susceptibility of non-human primates to the apoptogenic action of isoflurane has not been studied. Therefore, we exposed postnatal day 6 (P6) rhesus macaques to a surgical plane of isoflurane anesthesia for 5 h, and studied the brains 3 h later for histopathologic changes. METHOD With the same in...

Isoflurane mimics the cardioprotective effect of acute ischemic preconditioning with an acute memory phase. We determined whether isoflurane can induce delayed cardioprotection, the involvement of ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channels, and cellular location of the channels. Neonatal New Zealand White rabbits at 7-10 days of age (n = 5-16/group) were exposed to 1% isoflurane-100% oxygen for ...

BACKGROUND Mechanisms of anesthetic-mediated presynaptic inhibition are incompletely understood. Isoflurane reduces presynaptic excitability at the larval Drosophila neuromuscular junction, slowing conduction velocity and depressing glutamate release. Mutations in the Para voltage-gated Na channel enhance anesthetic sensitivity of adult flies. Here, the author examines the role of para in anest...

The optimal composition of eluant for trifluoroacetic acid (TFAA) analysis by ion-exchange chromatography was determined and a preliminary study to detect TFAA, a metabolite of isoflurane, in bile of rabbits during and after inhalation of isoflurane was made. The optimal composition of eluant for TFAA analysis by ion-exchange chromatography was determined to be a solution of 2mM Na2CO3 and 4mM ...

BACKGROUND A recent study showed that methylphenidate induces emergence from isoflurane anesthesia. Methylphenidate inhibits dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake transporters. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that selective dopamine receptor activation induces emergence from isoflurane anesthesia. METHODS In adult rats, we tested the effects of chloro-APB (D1 agonist) an...

Although many studies have shown that isoflurane exposure impairs spatial memory in aged animals, there are no clinical treatments available to prevent this memory deficit. The anticholinergic properties of volatile anesthetics are a biologically plausible cause of cognitive dysfunction in elderly subjects. We hypothesized that pretreatment with the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor donepezil, whi...

BACKGROUND Volatile anesthetics are frequently used during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) to maintain anesthesia. Uptake and elimination of the volatile agent are dependent on the composition of the oxygenator. This study was designed to evaluate whether the in vivo uptake and elimination of isoflurane differs between microporous membrane oxygenators containing a conventional polypropylene (PPL) ...

Although isoflurane can reduce ischemic neuronal injury after short postischemic recovery intervals, data from our laboratory have demonstrated that this neuroprotection is not sustained and that delayed apoptotic neuronal death, mediated in part by activation of caspases, contributes to the gradual increase in the size of the infarction. We tested the hypothesis that the neuroprotective effica...

The commonly used general anesthetic isoflurane induces widespread neurodegeneration in the developing mammalian brain through poorly understood mechanisms. We have investigated whether excessive Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum via overactivation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (InsP3Rs) is a contributing factor in such neurodegeneration in rodent primary cultured neurons ...