Recherche de la cause de l'inactivite de l'hydroxypentobarbital

Hydroxypentobarbital, the major metabolite of pentobarbital, given to animals in high doses has no hypnotic properties. This fact could be explained by lack of entry into brain from blood or by true inactivity in spite of entry into brain.The study of concentration of hydroxypentobarbital in liver and brain measured by gas chromatography after an administration of a high dose (800 mg/kg intraperitonealy) has shown that penetration in brain is slow and in addition that even when its concentration in brain is high (190 μg/g), hydroxypentobarbital is inactive as an hypnotic.