In Vivo Study on Mechanism Underlying Increased Pharmacological Effects of Phenobarbital in Rats with Glycerol-Induced Acute Renal Failure.

The mechanism underlying the increased pharmacological effects of phenobarbital in rats with glycerol-induced acute renal failure (ARF) was examined. In the experiments, a surgical cannula was inserted in the lateral ventricle of the rats for phenobarbital infusion, and the ARF induction was performed by intramuscular administration of 50% glycerol. The onset time of anesthesia by phenobarbital was determined with the tail flick method. In addition, cerebral microsomes were prepared from excised cerebral cortices of sham and ARF rats, and the cerebral expression of the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor and two cation-chloride transporters, KCC2 and NKCC1, was evaluated by Western blotting, as their functions are involved in the anesthetic effects of phenobarbital. When phenobarbital was infused in the ventricle, anesthesia was induced 2.2-times faster in ARF rats than in sham rats, and there was no detectable increase in the cerebral expression of the GABAA receptor in ARF rats. It was additionally noted that the cerebral expression of KCC2 decreased, whereas that of NKCC1 was unaltered in ARF rats. These findings indicated that the anesthetic effects of phenobarbital are potentiated in ARF rats, probably due to imbalanced cerebral expression of KCC2 and NKCC1, suggesting that altered cation-chloride handling in nerve cells is associated.

Effect of carrageenan-induced acute peripheral inflammation on the electrolyte disposition to cerebrospinal fluid in rats.

To clarify whether peripheral inflammation has a remote effect on the central nervous system, the electrolyte disposition between the circulating blood and central nervous system was evaluated in rats with carrageenan-induced acute peripheral inflammation (API). λ-Carrageenan was subcutaneously injected in the hind paw of the rat, and lithium was utilized as a surrogate marker of sodium. When the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of lithium were examined following lithium being intravenously administered, it was revealed that the CSF concentration of lithium in API rats is reduced compared to that in normal rats, while the plasma concentration profile of lithium in API rats is indistinguishable from that in normal rats. The pharmacokinetic analysis showed that the lithium disposition from the plasma to CSF markedly decreased by 35.8% in API rats compared to that in normal rats. On the other hand, when lithium was immediately administered into the lateral ventricle, its elimination profiles in CSF were not different between normal and API rats. It is therefore probable that the lithium disposition from the plasma to CSF alters in API rats, reflecting the entry process of electrolytes from the circulating blood to brain tissue being suppressed in response to peripheral inflammation.