General anesthesia can be achieved with the use of propofol. It's difficult to understand how propofol causes anesthesia.
A team of researchers from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have identified a previously unknown propofol effect in the brain. The study found that propofol had an impact on the process of transporting biomolecules to the cell surface.
Most animal cells, including human cells, are highly compartmental and rely on efficient movement of material between compartments. The location at which the function of the proteins is performed is called a vesicle. The transport needs to be very specific to maintain cellular organization.
The research team was led by a professor. The axons can span up to 1 meter in humans and are dependent on the transport of vesicles. Alzheimer's and Parkinson's are caused by errors in the transport of vesicles.
The study found that propofol has an effect on the kinesins. The small motor proteins that move the vesicles are called keesins.
In cells exposed to propofol, there was a reduction in the movement of two prominent kinesins. The team showed that propofol delayed the delivery of axons.
It is not fully understood how propofol works. We discovered that propofol changed the flow of vesicles in live cells.
The research helps us understand how propofol works. The mechanism of propofol's anesthesia has been the focus of most studies.
A new study shows that there is more to propofol's anesthetic effect than was previously known. The discovery of a new propofol effect may lead to the development of better anesthesia drugs.
The Dean of the school said that the team has furthered their understanding of the mechanism of action of a widely used drug. The research may pave the way for the development of related compounds that use the same mechanisms to target diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
The study was co-authored by a number of people.
Madeline Frank and her colleagues studied the effects of propofol on axonal vesicle transport and fusion. There is a DOI titled: 10.1091/mBC.E22-07-0272.
Journal information: Molecular Biology of the Cell
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