General anaesthetics Flashcards
What does NO do in terms of pain?
Reduced RESPONSE to pain
What does ether do in terms of pain?
Reduced RESPONSE to pain
Loss of consciousness
What does Chloroform do in terms of pain?
Reduced RESPONSE to pain
Loss of consciousness
What is the structure of ether and chloroform?
Volatile liquids that turn to gas at room temperature
How are general anaesthetics described?
Into 2 categories - by the route of administration
1) Chemical
2) Physical
What are chemical general anaesthetics?
Examples?
1) Inhalational
- NO
2) Intraveous
- Steroids
- Barbiturates
- Halogenated hydrocarbons
What are the physical general anaesthetics?
- Low-pressure
- Hypothermia
What do general anaesthetics do/not do?
- Reduces the RESPONSIVENESS to pain
- NOT the FEELING of pain
How do we know that anaesthetics don’t work by working on a specific receptor?
- The structure of general anaesthetics is VERY DIVERSE
- If work on a specific receptor - normally have a CONSERVED structure
How easily do general anaesthetics enter into membranes?
Why?
Easily
They are very lipophilic
What is the potency of general anaesthetics depends upon?
Closely related to the oil:gas partition coefficient (how easily they enter into the lipids)
What is MAC?
Minimum alveolar concentration
The amount of the drug needed to achieve a state of anaesthesia in 50% of proteins
Which anaesthetics have the highest potency?
Anaesthetics with the highest lipid solubility
How does temperature impact on anaesthesia?
Decrease temperature –> anaesthetic effect
What is the lipid theory of anesthetic action?
‘Molecules exert their action in the nervous system by entering into the plasma membrane
What are the 2 ideas of the ‘lipid theory’?
1) Membrane expansion
2) Increase in lipid fluidity
What is the ‘membrane expansion’ component of the lipid theory?
Lipids enter into the membrane
Causing:
- Fat molecules in the membrane to be pushed apart
- Altering the property of the neurons
- Altering neuronal excitability –> entering the state of anaesthesia
What is the ‘increase in lipid fluidity’ component of the lipid theory?
Lipids enter into the membrane
Causing:
- Lipids to become more ‘floppy’
- Activity of the proteins within the lipids are impacted
- Effect neuronal excitability –> entering the state of anaesthesia
What are the 3 arguments for the ‘lipid theory’?
- Obey the Meyer-Overton rule
- Obey the pressure effect
- Support drug diversity
What is the Meyer-Overton rule?
Correlation between the oil:gas coefficient and the potency of the drug as a general anaesthetic
What is the pressure effect on general anaesthetics?
- Reducing the atmospheric pressure INCREASES the potency of general anaesthetics
- As reduce pressure - support a more fluid membrane
How does the lipid theory support drug diversity?
- All general anaesthetics have a diverse structure
- Therefore the only thing that would affect how well they work would be how well they enter the lipid membrane
What are the 4 arguments against the the ‘lipid theory’?
1) Temperature effect
2) Binding sites
3) Loss of activity with homologous series of lipophilic compounds
4) Some drugs increase GABAa receptor affinity for agonists
Why does the temperature effect oppose the lipid theory?
- When the temperature decrease - membranes become LESS fluid
- But decrease temperature –> has anaesthetic effect
- Counteracts the effect that general anaesthetics work by increasing membrane fluidity