Isofluorane inhibits early mouse embryo development in vitro.

In vitro development of 2-cell mouse embryos to the blastocyst stage was used to assess the toxicity of isofluorane, nitrous oxide, fentanyl, and meperidine. Isofluorane at concentrations similar to those employed during human oocyte recovery for IVF significantly inhibited mouse embryo development. Since the other agents were without effect, balanced anesthesia with nitrous oxide and narcotics may be preferable to isofluorane for IVF and GIFT.