Abstract
THERE are two types of physicochemical theory of general anaesthesia. The Meyer–Overton and related theories correlate the potency of an anaesthetic with its solubility in lipids1–3, implying that the site of action of the anaesthetic gas is in the lipid part of the nerve membrane. The hydrate theories4,5 correlate the potency of an anaesthetic with its hydrate dissociation pressure, implying that the site of action of the anaesthetic is in the aqueous phase in or near the nerve membrane. For most anaesthetics the correlations are of similar quality. It has been proposed6–8 that fluorinated gases, because of their anomalous physical properties, could provide a means of discrimination between these two types of theories. Using the righting reflex in mice as a test for anaesthesia, CF4 was shown to be anaesthetic at 19 atmospheres and SF6 at 6.9 atmospheres7,8. These values correlate fairly well with those values predicted from their lipid solubility1–3. The correlation with the hydrate theories of anaesthesia4,5 was poor—published values at the dissociation pressures are roughly 1 atmosphere for CF4 hydrate9 and 1.0 atmosphere for SF6 hydrate10 at 0° C. The correlation was particularly bad for CF4 where the anaesthetic pressure was far greater than that predicted from the hydrate dissociation pressure. This lack of correlation makes the hydrate theories doubtful.
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MILLER, S., EGER, E. & LUNDGREN, C. Anaesthetic Potency of CF4 and SF6 in Dogs. Nature 221, 468–469 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1038/221468a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/221468a0
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