title: A comparison of the effects of ketamine, chloral hydrate and pentobarbital sodium anesthesia on isolated rat hearts and cardiomyocytes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study was intended to investigate which commonly used anesthetic in intact animals has the least effect on the function of isolated hearts and cardiomyocytes among the anesthetized animals.
  
  
  METHODS
  The hearts of male Sprague-Dawley rats were removed after they were anesthetized with ketamine, chloral hydrate or pentobarbital sodium, respectively, or were cervically dislocated. They were mounted on a Langendorff shelf. Heart rate (HR), left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), and maximal rate of increase of left ventricular pressure (+dp/dt) were observed and recorded. Cell shorting amplitude and survival rate were detected in isolated cardiomyocytes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The application of ketamine and pentobarbital sodium led to a significant decrease in HR, LVSP and +dp/dt in isolated hearts. Furthermore, pentobarbital sodium inhibited cell shorting amplitude and reduced the survival rate of isolated cardiomyocytes. Chloral hydrate did not significantly alter HR, LVSP, +dp/dt, cell shorting amplitude and survival rate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effects of anesthetics on cardiac parameters were considered when choosing an anesthesia administration. The results suggested that chloral hydrate as an anesthetic was appropriately applied for the studies of isolated hearts and cardiomyocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xinwei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Guangming
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Changdong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000777:Anesthetics / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002697:Chloral Hydrate / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D007649:Ketamine / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D008297:Male; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects*; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D010477:Perfusion; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000187:drug effects; D017725:Ventricular Pressure / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000777:Anesthetics; D002697:Chloral Hydrate; D007649:Ketamine; D010424:Pentobarbital