Isoflurane as an anesthetic for experimental animal surgery

Abstract

Isoflurane is an inhalational anesthetic agent associated with no known hepatic toxicity. Despite this fact, isoflurane has not been widely utilized as an anesthetic agent in studies of liver structure and function in experimental animals. For this reason, livers from rats treated with pentobarbital or diethylether were compared to those from rats treated with isoflurane to determine differences in biochemical and morphologic parameters. Liver from pentobarbital-treated rats showed a significant decline in glutathione-S-transferase activity compared to liver from isoflurane/O2 or ether-treated rats. Liver microsomes from isoflurane/O2-treated rats retained more cytochrome-C(P450)-reductase activity than did those from pentobarbital-treated, ether-treated, or decapitated rats. Despite these biochemical alterations, morphometric analysis of liver from isoflurane/O2 and pentobarbital-treated rats showed no quantitative or qualitative differences in liver structure or organelle volume densities. Neither were differences detected in uptake and distribution of 125I-epidermal growth factor when analyzed by electron microscopic autoradiography. These data show that isoflurane with supplemental O2 has no effects on hepatic structure and fewer effects on hepatic function than other anesthetics and may be a better experimental anesthetic than any currently in use.

Caudal thoracic air sac cannulation in zebra finches for isoflurane anesthesia

“…Isoflurane, an inhalant anesthetic, is an appealing alternative to injectable anesthetics because it allows for fast, minimally stressful induction, and current findings support earlier reports that isoflurane has the lowest probability for subject toxicity compared to other anesthetic agents (Harrison and Harrison, 1986;Raper et al, 1987;Duffy and Matta, 2000). Additionally, the low toxicity of isoflurane makes it safe to work with for those personnel who may be exposed to small amounts during anesthesia procedures (Harrison and Harrison, 1986).…”

Phenobarbital in Comparison with Carbon Tetrachloride and Phenobarbital-Induced Cirrhosis in Rat Liver Regeneration

“…Phenobarbital sodium (35 mg/dl) was given to the rats in the drinking water. After 10 -14 days on phenobarbital sodium, when the rats were 250 -300 g in body weight, CCl 4 was administered once a week at midday, using a curved feeding needle (16 gauge) with a ball-end, under light isoflurane and oxygen anesthesia [9]. Once feeding with CCl 4 had begun, body weight was measured daily.…”

“…Normal, PB, and LC rats were anesthetized with isoflurane/O 2 [9] and subjected to a sham operation [SHAM] or a two-thirds HTX. The SHAM rats were laparotomized with manipulated of the liver and HTX was performed using the Higgins and Anderson method [12].…”

Blood Sampling in the Rat: Current Practices and Limitations

“…Injectable anaesthetics were therefore excluded for routine studies. In recent years, a number of new volatile anaesthetics used in veterinary or human anaesthesia have been used for the light or surgical anaesthesia of laboratory rodents (Molello and Hawkins 1968;Sebesteny 1971;Tarin and Sturdee 1972;Carvell and Stoward 1975;Spencer 1976;Green 1982;Raper et al 1987). CO 2 has anaesthetic properties when mixed with oxygen (O 2 ) in su⁄cient proportions.…”