Figure 7: Mean arterial pressure (MAP) versus alphaxalone concentration; comparison between (A) male Lewis, (B) female Lewis, (C) male SD and (D) dose adjusted female SD rats
What is already known
The ideal anaesthesic drug does not yet exist
Designing new and repurposing old anaesthesic drugs is essential for progress in basic science and for translation
What this study adds
Compartmental non-linear mixed method effects (NLME) offers advantages over the standard deterministic pharmacokinetic approach
Alfaxalone CL is dependent on bodyweight and sex, whereas Vd is influence by rat strain
Clinical significance
This NLME model can be used for predicting and designing future alfaxalone experiments
Sex and strain differences must be addressed, incorporated and studied in anaesthetised rodent models