Anesthesia LXXI. Pharmacologic and Physicochemical Comparison of Flurothyl and Its Isomer.

Abstract

The pharmacologic antagonism between the isomers is striking. Each isomer is competing for its respective receptor site, namely, the convulsive or anesthetic site. In the "balanced state" the action of one is nullified by the other, and an apparently normal animal results. Not any of the physlcochemical properties or measurements conducted on the isomers, flurothyl and ISO, revealed a marked difference which might be considered responsible for their respective pharmacologlc responses. The surfactant phenomenon was not a constant finding with all fluorlnated, convulsive ethers. We were unable to establish any relationship between this physical property and pharmacologlc response; however, it was sufficiently unusual and interesting to warrant exploration.