Molecular biology in cardiovascular anaesthesia.
OBJECTIVE
The last few years have seen rapid technical developments of methods in molecular biology which are increasingly used as powerful tools in experimental and clinical research. A basic knowledge of these techniques becomes increasingly important for the clinically working anaesthesiologist in order to understand research publications and the molecular description of disease processes and their diagnosis.


RESULTS
Methods like DNA microarrays, PCR and western blotting are increasingly used in experimental and clinical studies investigating cellular signalling mechanisms of phenomena such as anaesthetic-induced preconditioning. So far, a complete picture of the underlying molecular mechanisms of anaesthetic-induced preconditioning still cannot be drawn. Recent investigations, however, focus on molecular targets like KATP channels, mitochondrial permeability transition pore, mitogen-activated protein kinases and protein kinase C and B/PI3K, and thereby strongly contribute to a completion of the signal-transduction picture of anaesthetic-induced preconditioning.


CONCLUSIONS
This review will give an overview over the available basic methods of molecular biology. Using anaesthetic-induced preconditioning as an example, we will summarize the very recent findings on the underlying molecular mechanisms.
Weber
Nina C
NC
Department of Anaesthesiology, Laboratory of Experimental Intensive Care and Anaesthesiology, University of Amsterdam, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. N.C.Hauck@amc.uva.nl
Schlack
Wolfgang
W
Preckel
Benedikt
B
D000777:Anesthetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D013504:Cardiovascular Surgical Procedures; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D024202:Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D019157:Ischemic Preconditioning, Myocardial; D054086:KATP Channels / Q000502:physiology; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D008967:Molecular Biology; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction
D000777:Anesthetics; D054086:KATP Channels; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases