BACKGROUND Volatile anaesthetics are widely used agents in clinical anaesthesia, although their mechanism of action is poorly understood. In particular, the dominant molecular mechanisms by which volatile anaesthetics depress spinal neurones and thereby mediate spinal effects such as immobility have recently become a matter of dispute. As GABAA and glycine receptors are potential candidates we ...

BACKGROUND In spite of more than 20 yr of research, the mechanism whereby local anaesthetics act on the brain to mediate anaesthesia still remains unclear. Furthermore, the effect of local anaesthetics on neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission in the hippocampus has not been reported. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to find out the differences between the local anaesthetics,...

The actions of clinical concentrations of volatile anaesthetic halothane and isoflurane were compared with those of pentobarbitone on identified neurons of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis. Application of halothane and isoflurane (1% v/v and 2% v/v), to the CNS of Lymnaea caused the strongly electrically coupled neurons VD1 and RPD2 to become quiescent, with a significant increase in membrane p...

UNLABELLED Effects of common anaesthetics such as ether, methoxyflurane, isoflurane, carbon dioxide (at 100%, 80% or 60% admixed with O(2)) on toxicity and clinical pathology parameters in rats were investigated. Ether, methoxyflurane and 100% CO(2) induced toxicity in some animals. Erythrocyte, haemoglobin and haematocrit were reduced in females by 100% CO(2), methoxyflurane and isoflurane. Gl...

Both local anaesthetics and calcium antagonists depress cardiac function. Therefore, we have studied the interaction of these compounds in the isolated myocardium of guineapigs. The negative inotropic effect of various local anaesthetics was investigated in left atria in the absence or presence of nitrendipine 10(-7) mol litre-1 (n = 7-8 in each group). In addition, the effect of bupivacaine wa...