Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2008
Rho-kinase inhibitors augment the inhibitory effect of propofol on rat bronchial smooth muscle contraction.
Airway smooth muscle contraction is not caused by the increase in intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)) alone because agonist stimulation increases tension at the same [Ca(2+)](i) (increase in Ca(2+) sensitivity). The small G protein Rho A and Rho-kinase (ROCK) play important roles in the regulation of Ca(2+) sensitivity. In this study, we investigated the effects of three ROCK inhibitors (fasudil, Y-27632, and H-1152) on rat airway smooth muscle contraction and the effects of ROCK inhibitors on propofol-induced bronchodilatory effects. ⋯ ROCK inhibitors, especially H-1152, can attenuate the contraction of rat airway smooth muscle. The combined use of ROCK inhibitors and propofol causes greater relaxation.