Abstract: | Endotracheal halothane anesthesia without any attendant operation in rabbits for 3.5 h causes changes in the surface-active properties of the surfactant, with an increase in the surface tension of lung washings as measured on Wilhelmy scales. A study of phospholipid fractions in lung washings by thin-layer chromatography on silica gel showed a decrease in phosphatidylcholine, one of the principal structures of the surface-active lipoprotein, and a simultaneous increase in the lysolecithin fraction. Determination of the content of free fatty acids in lung washings after halothane anesthesia showed a significant increase over the control. The possible mechanism of the harmful action of halothane anesthesia on the lung surfactant is discussed.Central Research Laboratory, Department of Normal Physiology, Tadjik Medical Institute, Dushanbe. (Presented by Academician V. N. Chernigovskii.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 84, No. 10, pp. 423–425, October, 1977 |