Effects of enflurane on cardiac autonomic nervous activity in mice

抄録

　 We examined the effects of enflurane anesthesia on the mouse cardiac autonomic nervous system using electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis. Enflurane had a lower effect on heart rate (HR) compared to isoflurane, which is more widely used in small animal studies. Under anesthesia with 3 or 4% of enflurane, administration of propranolol had a significant effect on HR. Enflurane increased R-R interval length in a dose-dependent fashion, and the R-R interval became unstable at high concentrations. Although HR decreased with high doses of enflurane, we observed normal sinus rhythm and no arrhythmia. These results suggest that the effect of enflurane anesthesia is acceptable even though the drug can lead to cardiac instability. No remarkable changes were observed in HR frequency. These results suggest that enflurane anesthesia may be suitable for cardiac autonomic nervous system analysis.