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Updated: Jun 5, 2026

The Serial Anesthesia Array for the High-Throughput Investigation of Volatile Agents Using Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: February 24, 2023
In vivo molecular labeling of halogenated volatile anesthetics via intrinsic molecular vibrations using nonlinear
Yu Nagashima1, Takayuki Suzuki, Sumio Terada
1Department of Applied Physics, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16, Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
Abstract:
Halogenated volatile anesthetics are frequently used for inhaled anesthesia in clinical practice. No appropriate biological method has been available for visualizing their localization in action. Therefore, despite their frequent use, the mechanism of action of these drugs has not been fully investigated. We measured coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectra of sevoflurane and isoflurane, two of the most representative volatile anesthetics, and determined the low-frequency vibrational modes without nonresonant background disturbance. Molecular dynamics calculations predict that these modes are associated with multiple halogen atoms. Because halogen atoms rarely appear in biological compounds, the entire spectral landscape of these modes is expected to be a good marker for investigating the spatial localization of these drugs within the intracellular environment. Using live squid giant axons, we could detect the unique CARS spectra of sevoflurane for the first time in a biological setting.
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