British journal of anaesthesia
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The neurosteroid dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) activates the sigma-1 receptor, inhibits gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) and glycine receptors, and induces hyperalgesic effects. Although its effects have been studied in various tissues of the nervous system, its synaptic mechanisms in nociceptive pathways remain to be elucidated. ⋯ These results suggest that DHEAS participates in the pathophysiology of nociceptive synaptic transmission in the spinal cord by potentiation of glutamate release and inhibition of the GABAA receptor.
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Editorial Comment
Perioperative beta-adrenergic antagonism: panacea or poison?