Abstract
Catecholamine and serotonin concentrations in the cord, medulla, and hypothalamus were measured in rats after saline, after sufentanil sufficient to reduce the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of halothane by 30% or less, or after sufentanil sufficient to reduce the MAC of halothane by 80% or more. In the cord, high doses of sufentanil resulted in a 13.4% reduction (P < 0.05) in serotonin concentration compared to saline control and a 17.4% reduction (P < 0.05) in serotonin concentration compared to low dosages of sufentanil. A 12.8% reduction (P < 0.05) in medullary serotonin also was observed with high sufentanil compared to low sufentanil. Epinephrine decreased significantly in the hypothalamus at the high sufentanil dose. No other significant differences were found in catecholamine content. The experimental results support the hypothesis that sufentanil may contribute to an analgetic component of general anesthesia by modulating nociception via the release of 5-HT.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 857-863 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Anesthesia and analgesia |
| Volume | 64 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| State | Published - Nov 13 1985 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine