Effect of halothane on myocardial cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP content of mice.

Halothane, in anesthetic concentrations (0.6-1.8 volumes/100 ml), produced a dose-dependent decrease in myocardial cyclic AMP (cAMP) content and an increase in cyclic GMP (cGMP) content in mice exposed to a continuous flow of the anesthetic carried in air for 15 min. Atropine (up to 20 mg/kg i.p.) did not alter significantly the myocardial cyclic nucleotides content or the effect of halothane on cAMP and cGMP content. Prazosin and yohimbine had no significant effect on cAMP or cGMP content in the absence of halothane. Both alpha adrenergic antagonists inhibited the halothane-induced increase in cGMP content (ID50, 0.24 and 0.54 mumol/kg i.p. for prazosin and yohimbine, respectively). In contrast, the decrease in cAMP content induced by halothane was not altered by alpha adrenergic antagonists. Propranolol (2 mg/kg i.p.) diminished myocardial cAMP level and prevented the halothane effect on myocardial cAMP content. Pretreatment with 6-hydroxydopamine did not change the cGMP response to halothane. Thus, the action of halothane on myocardial cyclic nucleotides content appears to be predominantly a peripheral effect, not related to cellular mechanisms mediated by muscarinic receptors. The results suggest that the increase in cGMP content induced by halothane does not require intact adrenergic nerve endings and that cellular processes associated with the alpha adrenoceptor system may be involved; the decrease in cAMP content may be due to an inhibition of the beta stimulatory action of catecholamines on adenylate cyclase.