Conventional intravenous anesthetics can trigger side effects such as low blood pressure and are poorly tolerated by young and elderly patients, particularly individuals with cardiovascular disease, and a study identifies a class of drug lead derived from N-arylpyrrole and targeted toward a subtype of brain receptor called the slow GABAAR; the lead compound exhibited potent anesthetic activity in tadpoles and rats, as well as minimal blood pressure suppression compared with propofol, suggesting that the lead might yield a potentially safe alternative to conventional anesthetics, according to the authors.
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Article #18-22076: "A newly developed anesthetic based on a unique chemical core," by Noelie Cayla et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Edward Bertaccini, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA; e-mail: edwardb@stanford.edu
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences