title: Neuromuscular Functions on Experimental Acute Methanol Intoxication.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The incidence of accidental or suicidal ingestion of methyl alcohol is high and methyl alcohol intoxication has high mortality. Methyl alcohol intoxication causes severe neurological sequelae and appears to be a significant problem. Methyl alcohol causes acute metabolic acidosis, optic neuropathy leading to permanent blindness, respiratory failure, circulatory failure and death. It is metabolised in the liver, and its metabolite formic acid has direct toxic effects, causing oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage and increased lipid peroxidation associated with the mechanism of neurotoxicity. Methanol is known to cause acute toxicity of the central nervous system; however, the effects on peripheral neuromuscular transmission are unknown. In our study, we aimed to investigate the electrophysiological effects of experimentally induced acute methanol intoxication on neuromuscular transmission in the early period (first 24 h).
  
  
  METHODS
  After approval by the Animal Experiment Ethics Committee of Ege University, the study was carried out on 10 Wistar rats, each weighing about 200 g. During electrophysiological recordings and orogastric tube insertion, the rats were anaesthetised using intra-peritoneal (IP) injection of ketamine 100 mg kg(-1) and IP injection of xylazine 10 mg kg(-1). The rats were given 3 g kg(-1) methyl alcohol by the orogastric tube. Electrophysiological measurements from the gastrocnemius muscle were compared with baseline.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Latency measurements before and 24 h after methanol injection were 0.81±0.11 ms and 0.76±0.12 ms, respectively. CMAP amplitude measurements before and 24 h after methanol injection were 9.85±0.98 mV and 9.99±0.40 mV, respectively. CMAP duration measurements before and 24 h after methanol injection were 9.86±0.03 ms and 9.86±0.045 ms, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was concluded that experimental methanol intoxication in the acute phase (first 24 h) did not affect neuromuscular function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, Division of Intensive Care, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali Reşat
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Moral
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, Division of Intensive Care, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: İlkin
authors.initials: İ
authors.lastname: Çankayalı
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, Division of Intensive Care, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Demet
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sergin
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, Division of Intensive Care, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Özden
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Boyacılar
keywords: Methanol; intoxication; neuromuscular transmission; polyneuropathy