Effect Of Hydrogen Isotopes On Anesthetic Potency Of Sevoflurane And Consciousness

Object:The basis of consciousness formation and the mechanism of general anesthetics are major scientific problems that have not yet been solved.General anesthesia can make the reversibility of consciousness disappear,suggesting that general anesthesia and consciousness may have a common mechanism.Research shows that the basis of consciousness and anesthesia may be some element with 1/2nuclear spin.We speculate that hydrogen may be the key mechanism of consciousness formation.Hydrogen is rich in isotopes,among which the nuclear spin of protium is1/2,that of deuteron is 1/2,and that of tritium is 1/2.They may have different effects on consciousness.Therefore,the relationship between hydrogen nuclear spin and anesthetic potency of sevoflurane and consciousness was verified by three different hydrogen isotopes of protium,deuterium and tritium.Methods:According to the pre-experiment results and the calculation of G*power software,56 C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups:control group（n=13）,heavy water group（n=13）and super-heavy water group（n=30）.Each mouse was anesthetized with sevoflurane and the ED₅₀value of the loss of righting reflex was measured.After a tube was placed through the lateral ventricle,the mice were resting for a week,and then 2μL of 0.9%Na Cl-H₂O or 0.80%Na Cl-D₂O or0.74%Na Cl-T₂O solution was given respectively according to the group,and the ED₅₀value of sevoflurane induced loss of righting reflex was measured again.The effects of different hydrogen isotopes on sevoflurane general anesthesia were compared according to the ED₅₀values of each group.Results:There was no difference in ED₅₀value of loss righting reflex among the three groups before administration（P>0.05）.0.9%Na Cl-H₂O solution had no significant effect on the potency of sevoflurane anesthesia（P>0.05）,but 0.80%Na Cl-D₂O solution significantly reduced the ED₅₀value of loss of righting reflex（P<0.0001）.The ED₅₀value of mice in 0.74%Na Cl-T₂O group after treatment was also significantly lower than that before（P<0.05）.Conclusions:Hydrogen plays an important role in the normal state of consciousness.Artificial administration of deuterium or tritium will interfere with the level of consciousness and affect the potency of anesthesia.We can’t refuse the hypothesis that hydrogen is a neural qubit in the brain,but further experimental verification is still needed.