Cited by 72Electron Spin Resonance StudiesAnesthesia and Sedative AgentsAnesthesia and Neurotoxicity Research

Electron spin changes during general anesthesia in Drosophila

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Turin, Luca, Skoulakis, Efthimios M. C., Horsfield, Andrew P.·2014·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Abstract

Significance: One hundred sixty years after its discovery, the molecular mechanism of general anesthesia remains a notable mystery. A very wide range of agents ranging from the element xenon to steroids can act as general anesthetics on all animals from protozoa to man, suggesting that a basic cellular mechanism is involved. In this paper, we show that volatile general anesthetics cause large changes in electron spin in Drosophila fruit flies and that the spin responses are different in anesthesia-resistant mutants. We propose that anesthetics perturb electron currents in cells and describe electronic structure calculations on anesthetic–protein interactions that are consistent with this mechanism and account for hitherto unexplained features of general anesthetic pharmacology.

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  • Anaesthetics bind to a number of membrane and cytoplasmic proteins.

    “Anaesthetics bind to a number of membrane and cytoplasmic proteins [76][77][78]”

    From Quantum effects in the brain: A review (2020) · cites this paper as [76]

  • Turin and co-workers propose that general anaesthetics change the structure of the highest occupied molecular orbital of certain molecules, facilitating electron transport between a donor and acceptor that puts the brain in an unconscious state.

    “They propose that general anaesthetics change the structure of the highest occupied molecular orbital of certain molecules, facilitating electron transport between a donor and acceptor that puts the brain in an unconscious state.”

    From The future of quantum biology (2018) · cites this paper as [121]

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Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. [16]Meyer H. Welche Eigenschaft der Anasthetica bedingt ihre narkotische Wirkung? Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Exp Pathol Pharmakol. 1899;42:109–118. [Google Scholar]
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Authors
Turin, L., Skoulakis, E. M. C., & Horsfield, A. P.
Affiliations
  • Alexander Fleming Biomedical Sciences Research Center (GR)
  • Imperial College London (GB)
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2014-08-11
Volume
111
Issue
34
Pages
E3524-33
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
OpenAlex
W2139737396
Cited by
71
References
102
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1
FWCI
2.98
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biophysics › Electron Spin Resonance Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Anesthesia and Sedative Agents
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Anesthesia and Neurotoxicity Research
Keywords
general anesthesia, electron spin, Drosophila, xenon, sulfur hexafluoride, nitrous oxide, chloroform, anesthetic resistance, protein electronic structure, alpha-helix, highest occupied molecular orbital, electron current, nervous system function
MeSH terms
Anesthesia, General, Animals, Chloroform, Drosophila, Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy, Melanins, Mutation, Nitrous Oxide, Sulfur Hexafluoride, Xenon, Protein Structure, Secondary, Anesthetics, General, Drosophila Proteins, Biophysical Phenomena, Static Electricity

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