Hypnotic effect of volatile anesthetics is mediated by PKC-γ dynamics.

Background: Although protein kinase C-γ (PKC-γ) is a target for the effects of volatile anesthetics, the molecular mechanisms of the kinase function remain unclear. We examined the effects of different types of anesthetics on PKC-γ knockout mice, and investigated the dynamics of the kinase in mouse brain.

Methods: We measured the required number of times for loss of righting reflex (rtfLORR) after administration of isoflurane, sevoflurane, and propofol on PKC-γ knockout mice and compared with those of wild-type mice.

[Organ protective effects of volatile anesthetics and perioperative outcomes].

Anesthetic agents, especially, volatile anesthetics are considered to exert organ toxicity such as nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity; however, recent aggressive researches explored the beneficial effects of volatile anesthetics as an organ protectant. Ischemic preconditioning is a phenomenon in which single or multiple brief periods of ischemia have been shown to protect the myocardium and brain against prolonged ischemic insult. General anesthesia showed the protection against both ischemic myocardial and brain reperfusion injuries.