DECREASED HYPOTHALAMIC PROSTAGLANDIN D-2 AND PROSTAGLANDIN E(2) CONTENTS DURING ISOFLURANE ANESTHESIA IN RATS

This study war undertaken to evaluate the effect of isoflurane anaesth esia on the hypothalamic contents of both prostaglandin D-2 and E(2) w hich affect the sleep-wakefulness cycle. Sixty-three Wistar rats were divided into three equal groups, control, isoflurane and recovery grou ps. Twenty-one rats of the control did not receive isoflurane. In the other groups 21 rats received isoflurane 2% for 30 min and 21 received isoflurane 2% for 30 min and were allowed to recover their usual beha viours, including righting reflex, spontaneously. The hypothalamus was removed and the contents of PGD(2) and PGE(2) were measured by enzyme immunoassay. The PGD(2) content in the hypothalamus was 397.9 +/- 226 .0 pg . g(-1) for the control group, 134.2 +/- 41.2 pg . g(-1) for the isoflurane group and 269.1 +/- 124.6 pg . g(-1) for the recovery grou p, respectively. The hypothalamic PGE(2) contents were 381.4 +/- 139.0 pg . g(-1) for the control group, 183.3 +/- 26.4 pg . g(-1) for the i soflurane group and 312.2 +/- 96.0 pg . g(-1) for the recovery group, respectively. The hypothalamic PGD(2) and PGE(2) contents in the isofl urane group were lower (P < 0.05) than those in the control and recove ry groups, while both the PGD(2) and PGE(2) contents of the control an d the recovery groups were similar. We conclude that decreased hypotha lamic PGD(2) and PGE(2) contents may be related to some manifestations of general anaesthesia with isoflurane.