Retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase in the rat's brain during halothane anesthesia

The horseradish peroxidase (HRP) method was used to study the effect of halothane anesthesia on retrograde transport in the central nervous system. Rats received neostriatal injections of 30% HRP (0.3 microl) and were placed in inhalation chambers perfused with air or air containing 1% halothane for up to 24 h. Subsequently, the brain were examined at rostro-caudal levels of the presence and distribution of HRP-containing cells. The number and distribution of HRP-labelled cells appearing at each cranial level were compared in control and halothane-anesthetized animals as a function of time. The results suggest that retrograde transport in the central nervous system is unaffected during halothane anesthesia.