British Journal of Anaesthesia, Vol 76, Issue 2 271-273, Copyright © 1996 by The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia
B. L. Appadu and D. G. Lambert
Using N1E-115 neuroblastoma cells as an experimental model, we have
examined if four commonly used i.v. anaesthetic induction agents interact
with 5-HT3 receptors. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that the
antiemetic effects of propofol may result from 5-HT3 receptor antagonism.
Binding of tropisetron (a 5-HT3 selective reference compound), etomidate,
ketamine, thiopentone and propofol to 5-HT3 receptors was assessed by
measuring the displacement of [3H]BRL 43694 from whole N1E-115 cells. The
rank order potency (Ki) was tropisetron (1.7 (SEM 0.2) nmol litre-1)
>> etomidate (83.(4) mumol litre-1) > or = ketamine (97 (4) mumol
litre-1) > thiopentone (177 (9) mumol litre-1) > propofol (819 (171)
mumol litre-1). With the exception of thiopentone these effects were
outside the clinical range and suggest that anaesthetic agents are unlikely
to interact directly with 5-HT3 receptors, and that other mechanism(s) must
underlie the antiemetic effects of propofol.
LABORATORY INVESTIGATIONS
Interaction of i.v. anaesthetic agents with 5-HT3 receptors
University Department of Anaesthesia, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Infirmary Close, Leicester LE1 5WW
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