title: Intrathecal glycine significantly decreases the minimum alveolar concentration of isoflurane in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of intrathecal administration of glycine on the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of isoflurane in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Intrathecal catheters were implanted in 40 adult male rats anesthetized with isoflurane. Baseline MAC of isoflurane was measured during the infusion of artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) alone. Subsequently, 10, 40, 80, 160, and 300 mmol/L of glycine dissolved in artificial CSF were infused for two hours at the same rate as under control conditions, and MAC for isoflurane was re-determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intrathecal administration of glycine produced a significant, dose-dependent decrease in MAC for isoflurane (up to -65.2% +/- 16.2%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intrathecal administration of glycine decreases anesthetic requirement This result supports the idea that glycine receptors may be important to the immobilizing effect of anesthetics that enhance glycine receptor function such as isoflurane.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730. zhaojing@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Edmond I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Eger
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sonner
mesh_terms: D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D005998:Glycine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007278:Injections, Spinal; D007530:Isoflurane / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D007530:Isoflurane; D005998:Glycine