Anesthetic induced changes in endoplasmic reticulum of lactating mammary tissue

Three anesthetics--Nembutal, Ketaset, and T61--produced extensive large vacuolization of endoplasmic reticulum in lactating goat mammary tissue. This was observable with either light or electron microscopy. No normal looking cells were seen at the electron microscope level. These changes rendered the tissue unusable for morphological and autoradiographic studies. Comparable doses (weight adjusted) of the same anesthetics did not produce cellular distortion in the lactating tissue of rats as observed with light or electron microscopy. This species difference seems to involve susceptibility of the endoplasmic reticulum to swelling. Effects of anesthetics on morphology of lactating tissue from other species is not known but may constitute an important variable.