title: Effects of oral and intravenous midazolam, triazolam and flunitrazepam on the sleep-wakefulness cycle of rabbits.
abstract: The effect of the new, short-acting benzodiazepine, midazolam as well as that of triazolam and flunitrazepam on the sleep of rabbits was recorded for 6 h. Midazolam at 1 mg kg-1 i.v. augmented both rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) and non-REM sleep (NREMS) only in the first half of the observation period. At 10 mg kg-1 i.v., NREMS was further increased in the first and, to a lesser degree, in the second 3-h period, while REMS was suppressed. Both doses were less effective orally than intravenously. Qualitatively, the effect of triazolam 0.01 and 0.1 mg kg-1 i.v. was very similar to that of the corresponding low and high intravenous doses of midazolam, except that the high dose of triazolam had a prolonged effect on total sleep time. Like midazolam, triazolam was substantially less effective orally than intravenously. Flunitrazepam at 0.1 and 1 mg kg-1 i.v. produced almost the same effects as midazolam and triazolam at the respective low and high intravenous doses, but had a longer duration of action. In contrast to midazolam and triazolam, flunitrazepam was almost as active orally as intravenously.
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004576:Electromyography; D005445:Flunitrazepam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008874:Midazolam; D011817:Rabbits; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects*; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000187:drug effects; D014229:Triazolam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D014229:Triazolam; D005445:Flunitrazepam; D008874:Midazolam