• Wei-Dong Mi, Fumito Ichinose, Takahisa Goto, Yoshinari Niimi, Masanori Uchiyama, and Shigeho Morita.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Ichihara Hospital, Anesaki 3426-3 Ichihara, 299-01, Chiba, Japan.
• J Anesth. 1998 Sep 1; 12 (3): 137-141.

PurposeConsiderable evidence suggests that nitric oxide (NO) plays a role in synaptic transmission in the central and peripheral nervous systems. However, whether inhibition of NO synthesis decreases minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of inhalational anesthetics is controversial. We examined the effects of 7-nitroindazole (7-NI), a selective inhibitor of neuronal NOS (nNOS), on the MAC of sevoflurane and cerebellar cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels in mice.MethodsSevoflurane MAC and cerebellar cGMP levels were determined in mice after acute intraperitoneal or weeklong gavage feeding of 7-NI. Sevoflurane MAC and cerebellar cGMP levels after chronic treatment were measured on days 1, 4, and 7 and were repeated after an acute intraperitoneal dose of nitro g -L-arginine methylester (L-NAME).ResultsAcute and chronic treatment with 7-NI decreased the sevoflurane MAC by 20%-30%. Reduction of cerebellar cGMP levels was greater after intraperitoneal administration of NOS inhibitors than after gavage feeding of 7-NI.ConclusionAcute or chronic selective inhibition of neuronal NOS decreases the sevoflurane MAC and cerebellar cGMP levels in mice. 7-NI permitted probing of the role of NO in perception of noxious stimuli.

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