Korean J Anesthesiol.  2001 Dec;41(6):727-733. 10.4097/kjae.2001.41.6.727.

Relaxant Effects of Thiopental, Ketamine, and Propofol on Isolated Rat Tracheal smooth Muscle

• Kim SC
• Kim SI
• Jeon IS
• Bai SC
• Lee JS
• Kim SY

• KMID: 2091640
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.2001.41.6.727

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Intravenous anesthetics may modify airway responsiveness. The author investigated the relaxant effect of thiopental, ketamine, and propofol on isolated rat tracheal smooth muscles.
METHODS
The trachea of the rat was dissected and cut into 3-mm rings. The rings were mounted in a water-jacked organ bath filled with Krebs solution aerated with 95% O2 and 5% CO2 at 37degreesC. Thiopental, ketamine, and propofol were given randomly to each ring preconstricted with EC50 of acetylcholine from 10(-6) to 10(-3) M. The relaxation response was the tension during anesthetic equilibration, expressed as a percentage of the tension from EC50 of acetylcholine.
RESULTS
Thiopental and propofol (10(-5) to 10(-3) M) relaxed acetylcholine-induced contractions in a dose dependent manner (P < 0.05). Ketamine in doses of 10(-5) and 10(-4) M constricted acetylcholine-induced contractions by 3.2% and 16.5% respectively (P < 0.05). But ketamine in a dose of 10(-3) relaxed acetylcholine-induced contractions by 76.4% (P < 0.05). The relaxation of tracheal smooth muscles was greatest in thiopental, and was least in ketamine (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
All three intravenous anesthetics have an excellent relaxation of tracheal smooth muscles in rats, except in doses of 10(-5) and 10(-4) M of ketamine.

Keyword

Airway: trachea; tracheal smooth muscle tension; Anesthetics, intravenous: thiopental; ketamine; propofol; Animal: rat

MeSH Terms

Acetylcholine
Anesthetics, Intravenous
Animals
Baths
Ketamine*
Muscle, Smooth*
Propofol*
Rats*
Relaxation
Thiopental*
Trachea
Acetylcholine
Anesthetics, Intravenous
Ketamine
Propofol
Thiopental