Disruption of muscarinic receptor-G protein coupling is a general property of liquid volatile anesthetics.

The influences of 3 volatile anesthetics, chloroform, enflurane and isoflurane, on muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in rat brainstem were determined. Each of the volatile anesthetics increased [3H]methylscopolamine [( 3H]MS) binding affinity, but did not affect the number of [3H]MS binding sites. Carbamylcholine affinity for brainstem muscarinic receptors was not altered after equilibration of brainstem membranes with any of these anesthetics. The ability of guanine nucleotides to depress the high affinity binding of two agonists, carbamylcholine and [3H]oxotremorine-M, was decreased or eliminated after equilibration of brainstem membranes with any of the anesthetics. In each of these actions, these anesthetics resemble halothane and diethyl ether. These results indicate that interference with muscarinic receptor-G protein interactions is a common property of liquid volatile anesthetics and may represent a general mechanism for the disruption of signal transmission between cells during anesthesia.