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Propofol activates vanilloid receptor channels expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells
S Tsutsumi1, A Tomioka, M Sudo
1Department of Pharmacology, Gunma University School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan. stutumi@med.gunma-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
Propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) is an intravenous anesthetic agent structurally unrelated to any other intravenous anesthetics. We examined the effect of propofol on a rat vanilloid receptor that was expressed in the human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells by using calcium imaging method. Propofol caused a concentration-dependent increase in [Ca(2+)](i) in the HEK293 cells with the receptor. These responses were inhibited by removing extracellular calcium ions. The propofol-evoked increase in [Ca(2+)](i) in the HEK293 cells with the receptor was partially inhibited by capsazepine, a competitive antagonist of capsaicin. We conclude that propofol acts as an agonist for the receptor.