Anaesthetic properties of dimethylthiourea.
We have examined dimethylthiourea, a potent scavenger of free radicals, for its anaesthetic properties in mice and rats. In mice, dimethylthiourea abolished the righting reflex at intraperitoneal doses greater than 1.5 mg g-1 bodyweight; in rats, it decreased the MAC value for isoflurane in a dose-dependent fashion. Dimethylthiourea 0.5 g kg-1 decreased isoflurane MAC by 23%; at a dose of 2.0-4.0 g kg-1, it abolished the response to tail clamp. Doses of 4.0 g kg-1 were lethal in the presence of isoflurane. A serum concentration of dimethylthiourea approximately 1 mg ml-1 produced a 50% reduction in isoflurane MAC. These anaesthetic properties of dimethylthiourea may influence experimental studies that examine the biochemical and physiological properties of this agent.
Department of Anesthesia, Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Francisco, CA 94121.
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Koblin
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Laster
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Liu
D000768:Anesthesia, General; D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004357:Drug Synergism; D007530:Isoflurane; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009068:Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012018:Reflex / Q000187:drug effects; D013890:Thiourea / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood
C038983:1,3-dimethylthiourea; D007530:Isoflurane; D013890:Thiourea