A Comparison between the Influence of Halothane or Fentanyl and Droperidol Anaesthesia on the Adrenergic Receptor Response in Human Adipose Tissue in vitro

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A comparison was made between the adrenergic receptor response in vitro in human adipose tissue obtained under halothane and neuroleptanaesthesia. In both groups the net release of glycerol was significantly stimulated (P < 0.01) by the combined alpha‐ and beta‐adrenergic agonist, 1‐noradrenaline. In the halothane group, the lipolysis was further increased by the addition of phentolamine (an alpha‐adrenergic blocking agent). No such effect could be demonstrated in specimens from the fentanyl/droperidol group. This difference in response was most probably explained by the fact that droperidol had quite a long‐lasting alpha‐adrenergic blocking property, which totally obliterated the effect of another alpha‐adrenergic blocking agent.The findings stress the importance of using a standardized procedure, including the choice of anaesthetic agents, when human adipose tissue is sampled for metabolic studies in vitro. The results also indicate the possibility of a difference in metabolic effects in vivo between the two procedures.