Effect of N -methyl-d-aspartate Receptor ε1Subunit Gene Disruption of the Action of General Anesthetic Drugs in Mice

Abstract

Although it has been demonstrated that knocking out the expression of receptors may induce changes in the composition of the subunits, the network circuitry, or both, the current findings show consistently that the NMDA receptor epsilon1 subunit mediates nitrous oxide but not sevoflurane anesthesia. Furthermore, the attenuated anesthetic impact of propofol, pentobarbital, diazepam, and midazolam as well as ketamine in knockout mice suggests that the NMDA receptor epsilon1 subunit could be indirectly involved in the hypnotic action of these drugs in vivo.