Despite a long history in medical and dental application, the molecular mechanism and precise site of action are still arguable for local anesthetics. Their effects are considered to be induced by acting on functional proteins, on membrane lipids, or on both. Local anesthetics primarily interact with sodium channels embedded in cell membranes to reduce the excitability of nerve cells and cardio...

BACKGROUND Drug interactions may reveal mechanisms of drug action: additive interactions suggest a common site of action, and synergistic interactions suggest different sites of action. We applied this reasoning in a review of published data on anesthetic drug interactions for the end-points of hypnosis and immobility. METHODS We searched Medline for all manuscripts listing propofol, etomidat...

BACKGROUND Irreversible nerve injury may result from neural membrane lysis due to the detergent properties of local anesthetics. This study aimed to investigate whether local anesthetics display the same properties as detergents and whether they disrupt the model membrane at high concentrations. METHODS Concentrations at which dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride and four local anesthetic (dibuc...

BACKGROUND Previous studies have shown that local anesthetics may induce apoptosis in some cell types. In this study, we investigated the apoptotic effects of local anesthetics in human breast tumor cells. METHODS Human breast cancer (MCF-7) and mammary epithelial (MCF-10A) cell lines were treated with lidocaine and/or bupivacaine. Cell viability, DNA fragmentation, and annexin V immunofluore...

The initial goal of this study was to determine the minimum anesthetic concentration (MAC) for isoflurane (ISO) and sevoflurane (SEVO) for the crested serpent eagle. Next, we compared the anesthetic effects of each on the physiological effects, hematocrit, plasma chemistry values and behavior in spontaneously breathing captive adult crested serpent eagles. Sixteen eagles were randomly allocated...

Anesthesia is a prerequisite for most surgical procedures in both animals and humans. Significant strides have been made in search of effective and safer compounds that elicit rapid induction and recovery from anesthesia. However, recent studies have highlighted possible negative effects of several anesthetic agents on the developing brain. The precise nature of this cytotoxicity remains to be ...

Tertiary amine local anesthetics previously have been shown to influence some microtubule-dependent cellular functions. Since several cell secretion processes, including secretion of collagen, have been shown to be inhibited by microtubule-disrupting drugs such as colchicine, we determined whether local anesthetics affect collagen secretion. Six local anesthetics inhibited collagen and non-coll...

BACKGROUND Although general anesthesia is widely used in the surgical arena, the mechanisms by which general anesthetics act remain unclear. We previously described alterations in gene expression ratios in hepatic tissue taken from rats treated with anesthetics. Consequently, it is considered that anesthetics influence liver metabolism. Thus, the goal of this study was to use pattern recognitio...

Each year, about six million children, including 1.5 million infants, in the United States undergo surgery with general anesthesia, often requiring repeated exposures. However, a crucial question remains of whether neonatal anesthetics are safe for the developing central nervous system (CNS). General anesthesia encompasses the administration of agents that induce analgesic, sedative, and muscle...

Pregnancy induces significant anatomical and physiological changes in the mother. Many pregnant women need dental treatment due to poor oral hygiene related to pregnancy. However, most dentists are reluctant to provide, and most pregnant women are reluctant to receive, dental treatment during pregnancy. Theoretically, maternally administered drugs are transferred to the fetus. Depending on the ...