Differential effects of halothane and sevoflurane on hypoxia-induced intracellular calcium transients of neonatal rat carotid body type I cellsâ€

The actions of the agents in single cells reflect their known influence on human hypoxic ventilatory response, consistent with the notion that the cellular process underlies the whole-body effect. The responses to elevated extracellular potassium, which depolarizes the cell membrane, indicate that (in addition to molecular mechanisms previously proposed), voltage-activated calcium channels may also be involved in the anaesthetic effect.