Do barbiturates impair zymosan-induced granulocyte function?

PURPOSE: The dose-response relationship of commercially available preparations of methohexital, pentobarbital, phenobarbital, and thiopental and their respective drug-free solutions on granulocyte function was investigated to evaluate whether suppression of neutrophil chemiluminescence is mediated by the barbiturates themselves or by their drug-free solutions. Furthermore, it was assessed whether suppression of chemiluminescence is due to an interaction mainly with neutrophils or to free radical scavenging.

METHODS

The dose-response effects of the four barbiturates on granulocyte function were tested by zymosan-induced neutrophil chemiluminescence and, in addition, in a cell-free chemiluminescence system.

RESULTS

Methohexital and pentobarbital did not influence zymosan-induced neutrophil chemiluminescence, whereas phenobarbital and thiopental decreased neutrophil chemiluminescence in a dose-dependent fashion. Nonphysiological osmolality (531 mosmol/kg) caused this impaired neutrophil chemiluminescence at the greatest concentration of phenobarbital. Thiopental solely suppressed neutrophil chemiluminescence drug specifically. Because thiopental also reduced chemiluminescence generated in a cell-free system, free radical scavenging might contribute to the impaired neutrophil chemiluminescence observed with thiopental.

CONCLUSIONS

With the exception of thiopental, barbiturates do not impair oxygen radical production during phagocytosis of neutrophils.