Propofol research may lead to safer anesthetics

New research on propofol, the most commonly used anesthetic drug, may help scientists design new versions of the drug that reduce the risks involved in surgery and improve patient safety, according to a new study in Nature Chemical Biology (September 22, 2013).

In this study, a team of international researchers identified exactly how propofol, which was introduced in the 1980s, acts at a molecular level.

Intravenous anesthetics such as propofol act on brain cells called the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor, but it was unknown where they bound to that receptor, the study authors noted in a press release. Activating these receptors -- with propofol for example -- stops a nerve cell from communicating with its neighbors, leading to unconsciousness.

For this study, the scientists created a molecule that closely resembles and mimics propofol but has an added hook that grabs onto the GABAA receptor and won't let it go when it is activated by a bright light. They then extracted the receptor, cut it into pieces, and identified the place on the protein that the propofol mimic had attached to.

Current anesthetics can have unwanted effects on the heart and blood pressure, and they can also interfere with breathing during surgery, the researchers noted.

Using the techniques they have developed, the scientists say they will now identify binding sites of other anesthetics. They believe their approach also can be used to study other types of drugs, such as psychiatric agents and antiseizure drugs.

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