title: Effects of pentobarbital and isoflurane on regional cerebral oxygen extraction and consumption with middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  When compared with barbiturates, isoflurane may lack protective effects during focal cerebral ischemia. The reason for this difference is not clear. In this study, regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), arterial and venous O2 saturation, and O2 extraction were compared in the ischemic cortex and in the nonischemic brain regions of rats anesthetized with isoflurane or pentobarbital using a microspectrophotometric technique that directly measures the O2 saturation of blood in the small arteries and veins.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-eight rats were anesthetized with 1.4% isoflurane or 50 mg/kg pentobarbital. One hour after a middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion, rCBF was measured in the ischemic cortex and in the nonischemic brain regions using 14C-iodoantipyrine in one-half of each group of animals. Regional arterial and venous O2 saturation were determined using microspectrophotometry in the other one-half of each group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rCBF of the ischemic cortex (IC) and the non-ischemic contralateral cortex (CC) of the isoflurane group were significantly higher than those of the pentobarbital group. The venous O2 saturation was significantly less, and the O2 extraction was significantly higher, in the IC than in the nonischemic regions in both groups of animals (pentobarbital group, IC 10.5 +/- 1.1 ml O2.100 ml blood-1, CC 6.3 +/- 0.7; isoflurane group, IC 10.8 +/- 0.6, CC 5.9 +/- 0.2). There was no significant difference between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because the rCBF was less and the O2 extraction was similar, O2 consumption in the focal ischemic area of the brain during pentobarbital anesthesia must have been less than that during isoflurane anesthesia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick 08903-0019.
authors.forename: O Z
authors.initials: OZ
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: O'Hara
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Sinha
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Weiss
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D007530:Isoflurane / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000187:drug effects*; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D007530:Isoflurane; D010424:Pentobarbital