THE INTERACTION OF GENERAL-ANESTHETICS WITH RECOMBINANT GABA(A) AND GLYCINE RECEPTORS EXPRESSED IN XENOPUS-LAEVIS OOCYTES - A COMPARATIVE-STUDY

1 The effects of five structurally dissimilar general anaesthetics wer e examined in voltage-clamp recordings of agonist-evoked currents medi ated by recombinant gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)(A) receptors compos ed of human alpha(1) beta(1) and gamma(2L) subunits expressed in Xenop us laevis oocytes. A quantitative comparison of the effects of these a gents was made upon recombinant glycine receptors expressed as a homo- oligomer of human alpha(1) subunits, or as a hetero-oligomer of human alpha(1) and rat beta subunits. 2 Complementary RNA-injected oocytes e xpressing GABA(A) receptors responded to bath applied GABA with an EC5 0 of 158+/-34 mu M. Oocytes expressing alpha(1) and alpha(1) beta glyc ine receptors subsequent to cDNA injection displayed EC50 values of 76 +/-2 mu M and 66+/-2 mu M, respectively, in response to bath applied g lycine. 3 Picrotoxin antagonized responses mediated by homo-oligomeric alpha(1) glycine receptors with an IC50 of 4.2+/-0.8 mu M. Hetero-oli gomeric alpha(1) beta glycine receptors were at least 100-fold less se nsitive to blockade by picrotoxin. 4 With the appropriate agonist EC10 , propofol enhanced GABA and glycine-evoked currents to approximately the maximal response produced by a saturating concentration of either agonist (i.e. I-max). The calculated EC50 values were 2.3+/-0.2 mu M, 16+/-3 mu M and 27+/-2 mu M, for GABA(A) alpha(1) beta(1) gamma(2L), g lycine alpha(1) and alpha(1) beta receptors, respectively. At relative ly high concentrations, propofol was observed to activate directly bot h GABA(A) glycine receptors. 5 Pentobarbitone potentiated GABA-evoked currents to 117+/-8.5% of I-max, with an EC50 of 65+/-3 mu M. The barb iturate also produced a substantial enhancement of the glycine-evoked currents, I-max and EC50 values being 71+/-2% and 845+/-66 mu M and 51 +/-10% and 757+/-30 mu M for homomeric alpha(1) and heteromeric alpha( 1) beta glycine receptors respectively. At high concentrations, pentob arbitone directly activated GABA(A), but not glycine, receptors. 6 The potentiation by propofol or pentobarbitone of currents mediated by al pha(1) homo-oligomeric glycine receptors was in both cases associated with a parallel sinistral shift of the glycine concentration-effect cu rve. The effects of binary combinations of pentobarbitone and propofol at maximally effective concentrations were mutually occlusive suggest ing a common site, or mechanism, of action. 7 GABA-evoked currents wer e maximally potentiated by etomidate to 79+/-2% of I-max (EC50 of 8.1/-0.9 mu M). By contrast, glycine-induced currents mediated by alpha(1 ) and alpha(1) beta glycine receptor isoforms were enhanced only to 29 +/-4% and 28+/-3% of I-max. Limited solubility precluded the calculati on of EC50 values for the effect of etomidate at glycine receptors. No ne of the receptor isoforms examined were directly activated by etomid ate. 8 The neurosteroid 5 alpha-pregnan-3 alpha-ol-20-one potentiated GABA-evoked currents to 69+/-4% of I-max, with an EC50 value of 89+/-6 nM. In contrast, both alpha(1) homo-oligomeric and alpha(1) beta hete r-oligomeric glycine receptors were insensitive to the action of this steroid. A direct agonist action of the steroid was discernible at GAB A(A), but not glycine, receptors. 9 Trichloroethanol, the active metab olite of the general anaesthetic chloral hydrate, enhanced glycine-evo ked currents to 77+/-10% and 94+/-4% of I-max on alpha(1) and alpha(1) beta glycine receptors, with EC50 values of 3.5+/-0.1 mM and 5.9+/-0. 3 mM respectively. On GABA(A) receptors, trichloroethanol had a lower maximum enhancement (52+/-5% of I-max), but a slightly higher potency (EC50 1.0+/-0.1 mM). Trichloroethanol activated neither GABA(A), nor g lycine, receptors. 10 The data demonstrate a variety of intravenous ge neral anaesthetic agents, at clinically relevant concentrations, to au gment preferentially GABA-evoked currents mediated by the alpha(1) bet a(1) gamma(2L) receptor subunit combination as compared to their effec ts on both alpha(1) and alpha(1) beta glycine receptors. However, the presence on glycine receptors of lower affinity modulatory binding sit es for pentobarbitone, propofol and trichloroethanol may aid in the id entification of the molecular determinants of the CNS actions of these anaesthetics.