Exhaled breath is found to be better than blood samples for determining propofol concentrations in the brain tissues of rats

Abstract

The correlation between propofol concentration in exhaled breath (C E) and plasma (C P) has been well-established, but its applicability for estimating the concentration in brain tissues (C B) remains unknown. Given the impracticality of directly sampling human brain tissues, rats are commonly used as a pharmacokinetic model due to their similar drug-metabolizing processes to humans. In this study, we measured C E, C P, and C B in mechanically ventilated rats injected with propofol. Exhaled breath samples from the rats were collected every 20 s and analyzed using our team’s developed vacuum ultraviolet time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Additionally, femoral artery blood samples and brain tissue samples at different time points were collected and measured using high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. The results demonstrated that propofol concentration in exhaled breath exhibited stronger correlations with that in brain tissues compared to plasma levels, suggesting its potential suitability for reflecting anesthetic action sites’ concentrations and anesthesia titration. Our study provides valuable animal data supporting future clinical applications.