Abstract
Volatile anesthetics are widely used for general anesthesia during surgical operations. Voltage-gated Na+ channels expressed in central neurons are major targets for volatile anesthetics; but it is unclear whether these drugs modulate native tetrodotoxin-resistant (TTX-R) Na+ channels, which are involved in the development and maintenance of inflammatory pain. In this study, we examined the effects of sevoflurane on TTX-R Na+ currents (INa) in acutely isolated rat dorsal root ganglion neurons, using a whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Sevoflurane slightly potentiated the peak amplitude of transient TTX-R INa but more potently inhibited slow voltage-ramp-induced persistent INa in a concentration-dependent manner. Sevoflurane (0.86 ± 0.02 mM) (1) slightly shifted the steady-state fast inactivation relationship to hyperpolarizing ranges without affecting the voltage-activation relationship, (2) reduced the extent of use-dependent inhibition of Na+ channels, (3) accelerated the onset of inactivation and (4) delayed the recovery from inactivation of TTX-R Na+ channels. Thus, sevoflurane has diverse effects on TTX-R Na+ channels expressed in nociceptive neurons. The present results suggest that the inhibition of persistent INa and the modulation of the voltage dependence and inactivation might be, at least in part, responsible for the analgesic effects elicited by sevoflurane.
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