The Neurotoxicity of Nitrous Oxide: The Facts and “Putative” Mechanisms
Nitrous oxide is a widely used analgesic agent, used also in combination with anaesthetics during surgery. Recent research has raised concerns about possible neurotoxicity of nitrous oxide, particularly in the developing brain. Nitrous oxide is an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)-antagonist drug, simila...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2014-01-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/4/1/73 |
| _version_ | 1811298792740225024 |
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| author | Sinead Savage Daqing Ma |
| author_facet | Sinead Savage Daqing Ma |
| author_sort | Sinead Savage |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nitrous oxide is a widely used analgesic agent, used also in combination with anaesthetics during surgery. Recent research has raised concerns about possible neurotoxicity of nitrous oxide, particularly in the developing brain. Nitrous oxide is an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)-antagonist drug, similar in nature to ketamine, another anaesthetic agent. It has been linked to post-operative cardiovascular problems in clinical studies. It is also widely known that exposure to nitrous oxide during surgery results in elevated homocysteine levels in many patients, but very little work has investigated the long term effect of these increased homocysteine levels. Now research in rodent models has found that homocysteine can be linked to neuronal death and possibly even cognitive deficits. This review aims to examine the current knowledge of mechanisms of action of nitrous oxide, and to describe some pathways by which it may have neurotoxic effects. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T06:25:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-773253d441e44d889b0d56bca742f3c5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T06:25:32Z |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-773253d441e44d889b0d56bca742f3c52022-12-22T02:58:27ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252014-01-0141739010.3390/brainsci4010073brainsci4010073The Neurotoxicity of Nitrous Oxide: The Facts and “Putative” MechanismsSinead Savage0Daqing Ma1Anaesthetics, Pain Medicine & Intensive Care, Department of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College London, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London SW10 9NH, UKAnaesthetics, Pain Medicine & Intensive Care, Department of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College London, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London SW10 9NH, UKNitrous oxide is a widely used analgesic agent, used also in combination with anaesthetics during surgery. Recent research has raised concerns about possible neurotoxicity of nitrous oxide, particularly in the developing brain. Nitrous oxide is an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)-antagonist drug, similar in nature to ketamine, another anaesthetic agent. It has been linked to post-operative cardiovascular problems in clinical studies. It is also widely known that exposure to nitrous oxide during surgery results in elevated homocysteine levels in many patients, but very little work has investigated the long term effect of these increased homocysteine levels. Now research in rodent models has found that homocysteine can be linked to neuronal death and possibly even cognitive deficits. This review aims to examine the current knowledge of mechanisms of action of nitrous oxide, and to describe some pathways by which it may have neurotoxic effects.http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/4/1/73nitrous oxideneurotoxicityhomocysteineNMDA antagonist |
| spellingShingle | Sinead Savage Daqing Ma The Neurotoxicity of Nitrous Oxide: The Facts and “Putative” Mechanisms Brain Sciences nitrous oxide neurotoxicity homocysteine NMDA antagonist |
| title | The Neurotoxicity of Nitrous Oxide: The Facts and “Putative” Mechanisms |
| title_full | The Neurotoxicity of Nitrous Oxide: The Facts and “Putative” Mechanisms |
| title_fullStr | The Neurotoxicity of Nitrous Oxide: The Facts and “Putative” Mechanisms |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Neurotoxicity of Nitrous Oxide: The Facts and “Putative” Mechanisms |
| title_short | The Neurotoxicity of Nitrous Oxide: The Facts and “Putative” Mechanisms |
| title_sort | neurotoxicity of nitrous oxide the facts and putative mechanisms |
| topic | nitrous oxide neurotoxicity homocysteine NMDA antagonist |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/4/1/73 |
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