Absorption, Distribution and Excretion
Enflurane is rapidly absorbed into the circulation through the lungs. The minimum alveolar concentration is oxygen is 1.68%.
Metabolism accounts for 5-9% of enflurane elimination, sometimes causing nephrotoxicity. Excretion through the skin is believed to be minimal.
Enflurane distributes to the brain, blood, and subcutaneous fat.

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Metabolism / Metabolites
Enflurane is metabolized by the CYP2E1 enzyme in the liver to produce inorganic fluoride ions, the major metabolite of enflurane metabolism. One reference indicates that enflurane is only 2-5% eliminated after oxidative metabolism in the liver, however more recent evidence suggests that about 9% is eliminated via hepatic oxidation.
The toxicity of the chiral fluorinated volatile anesthetics halothane, enflurane, and isoflurane is closely related to their metabolism by hepatic cytochrome P450. Although individual anesthetic enantiomers have been shown to exhibit a difference in anesthetic efficacy, metabolism of anesthetic enantiomers has not been reported. Human liver enflurane metabolism to difluoromethoxydifluoroacetic acid (DFMDFA) and inorganic fluoride is catalyzed in vivo and in vitro by cytochrome P450 2E1. The purpose of this investigation was to characterize enflurane racemate and enantiomer metabolism to test the hypothesis that fluorinated ether anesthetic metabolism by cytochrome P450 2E1 exhibits substrate stereoselectivity. Enflurane metabolism by microsomes from three human livers and by microsomes containing cDNA-expressed human P450 2E1 was measured at saturating enflurane concentrations. DFMDFA was quantitated with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry by detection of the ethanolamide derivative. In microsomes from all three livers, (R)-enflurane metabolism was significantly greater than that of (S)-enflurane, whereas rates of racemic enflurane metabolism were generally between those seen for the R- and S-enantiomers. The ratio of (R)-enflurane to (S)-enflurane metabolism in the three livers studied was 2.1:1, 1.9:1, and 1.4:1. (R)-, (S)-, and racemic enflurane were all metabolized by expressed P450 2E1. The ratio of (R)-enflurane to (S)-enflurane metabolism was 1.9:1. The metabolic enantiomeric selectivity of human liver P450 2E1 for (R)-enflurane suggests that enflurane metabolism by P450 2E1 occurs by direct substrate oxidation, rather than indirectly through the generation of a P450-dependent reactive oxygen species, and supports the hypothesis that the P450 2E1 active site is somewhat restrictive and capable of stereochemical discrimination.
Difluoromethoxydifluoroacetic acid (CHF2OCF2CO2H) has been identified as a metabolite of enflurane (CHF2OCF2CHCIF) in rat liver microsomes in vitro and in human urine by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The formation of the metabolite in rat liver microsomes was dependent upon the presence of NADPH and O2, and was inhibited when SKF 525-A or CO/O2 (8:2, v/v) were present in the reaction mixture. When the C-H bonds of the CHCIF group of enflurane or of the CHCI group of isoflurane (CHF2OCHCICF3) were replaced with a C-CI bond, virtually no fluoride ion was produced from either derivative in rat liver microsomes. These results indicate that cytochrome P-450 catalyzes the oxidative dehalogenation of CHF2OCF2CHCIF at its CHCIF group to form CHF2OCF2CO2H and chloride and fluoride ions. In contrast, the CHF2 group does not appear to be appreciably susceptible to metabolic oxidative dehalogenation...
Enflurane is a fluorinated volatile anesthetic, mostly eliminated unchanged in exhaled air. About 10% of inhaled enflurane undergoes oxidative metabolism in liver via mixed function oxidase.
Fluorinated ether anesthetic hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity are mediated by cytochrome P450-catalyzed oxidative metabolism. Metabolism of the volatile anesthetic enflurane to inorganic fluoride ion by human liver microsomes in vitro is catalyzed predominantly by the cytochrome P450 isoform CYP2E1.
2.4% of the dose is slowly metabolized hepatically via oxidation and dehalogenation (primarily through the actions of cytochrome P450 2E1). Leads to low levels of serum fluoride (15 µmol/L).

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Biological Half-Life
Rats exposed to enflurane (100 ppm) ... in a closed all glass-system eliminated /enflurane/ from the atmosphere of the system with a half-life of 6.84 hr... . 24 hr-fasting had no influence on /the elimination half-life/. ... Pretreatment with diethyl maleate (1 mL/kg ip), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO, 1 g/kg ip) or dithiocarb (100 mg/kg ip) prolonged the elimination half-life... . An accelerated metabolic elimination was only observed in DDT-pretreated rats exposed to enflurane; other inducers of the microsomal mixed-function oxidase system like phenobarbital or rifampicine had no significant influence on the in vivo metabolism ...

Hepatotoxicity
Prospective, serial blood testing often demonstrates minor transient elevations in serum aminotransferase levels in the 1 to 2 weeks after major surgery and anesthesia. Appearance of ALT levels above 10 times the upper limit of normal, however, is distinctly unusual and points to significant hepatotoxicity. Clinically apparent, severe hepatic injury from enflurane has been reported but is very rare. The injury resembles halothane hepatotoxicity and is marked by acute elevations in serum aminotransferase levels (5- to 50-fold) and appearance of jaundice 2 to 21 days after surgery and anesthesia. There are usually minimal increases in alkaline phosphatase and gammaglutamyl transpeptidase levels. The liver injury is often preceded by a day or two of fever and may be accompanied by rash and eosinophilia. The acute liver injury may be self-limited and resolve within 4 to 8 weeks, but can be severe and associated with acute liver failure. A strong risk factor is previous exposure to any of the halogenated anesthetics and particularly a history of halothane hepatitis or unexplained fever and rash after anesthesia with one of these agents.
Likelihood score: B (highly likely cause of clinically apparent liver injury).

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Effects During Pregnancy and Lactation
◉ Summary of Use during Lactation
There is no published experience with enflurane during breastfeeding. Because the serum half-life of enflurane in the mother is short and the drug is not expected to be absorbed by the infant, no waiting period or discarding of milk is required. Breastfeeding can be resumed as soon as the mother has recovered sufficiently from general anesthesia to nurse. When a combination of anesthetic agents is used for a procedure, follow the recommendations for the most problematic medication used during the procedure. In one study, breastfeeding before general anesthesia induction reduced requirements of sevoflurane and propofol compared to those of nursing mothers whose breastfeeding was withheld or nonnursing women. It is possible that requirements for other anesthetic agents would be affected similarly.
◉ Effects in Breastfed Infants
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
◉ Effects on Lactation and Breastmilk
A randomized study compared the effects of cesarean section using general anesthesia, spinal anesthesia, or epidural anesthesia, to normal vaginal delivery on serum prolactin and oxytocin as well as time to initiation of lactation. General anesthesia was performed using propofol 2 mg/kg and rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg for induction, followed by sevoflurane and rocuronium 0.15 mg/kg as needed. After delivery, patients in all groups received an infusion of oxytocin 30 international units in 1 L of saline, and 0.2 mg of methylergonovine if they were not hypertensive. Fentanyl 1 to 1.5 mcg/kg was administered after delivery to the general anesthesia group. Patients in the general anesthesia group (n = 21) had higher post-procedure prolactin levels and a longer mean time to lactation initiation (25 hours) than in the other groups (10.8 to 11.8 hours). Postpartum oxytocin levels in the nonmedicated vaginal delivery group were higher than in the general and spinal anesthesia groups.
A retrospective study of women in a Turkish hospital who underwent elective cesarean section deliveries compared women who received bupivacaine spinal anesthesia (n = 170) to women who received general anesthesia (n = 78) with propofol for induction, sevoflurane for maintenance and fentanyl after delivery. No differences in breastfeeding rates were seen between the groups at 1 hour and 24 hours postpartum. However, at 6 months postpartum, 67% of women in the general anesthesia group were still breastfeeding compared to 81% in the spinal anesthesia group, which was a statistically significant difference.

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Protein Binding
The plasma protein binding for enflurane is 97%.

Enflurane (Ethrane, 2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyldifluoromethyl ether) is a nonflammable halogenated hydrocarbon that exists as a clear, colorless, odorless to sweet, volatile liquid at ordinary temperature and pressure. Bp: 56.8 °C. Density 1.50 g cm-3 at room temperature. Used as an anesthetic.
Enflurane is an ether in which the oxygen atom is connected to 2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl and difluoromethyl groups. It has a role as an anaesthetic. It is an organofluorine compound, an organochlorine compound and an ether. It is functionally related to a methoxyethane.
Enflurane is a halogenated inhalational anesthetic initially approved by the FDA in 1972. Since this date, it has been withdrawn from the US market. Unlike its other inhalational anesthetic counterparts including [isoflurane] and [halothane], enflurane is known to induce seizure activity. In addition, it is known to cause increased cardio depressant effects when compared to other inhaled anesthetics.
Enflurane is a General Anesthetic. The physiologic effect of enflurane is by means of General Anesthesia.
Enfurane is a volatile anesthetic agent with an excellent safety record which was previously widely used, but has now been replaced by more modern volatile anesthetic agents. Case series and isolated case reports of severe acute liver injury similar to halothane hepatitis attributed to enflurane have been published, but are rare.
Enflurane is a fluorinated ether and very potent and stable general anaesthetic agent. The mechanism through which enflurane exerts its effect is not clear, it probably acts on nerve cell membranes to disrupt neuronal transmission in the brain, probably via an action at the lipid matrix of the neuronal membrane. Enflurane may also enhance the activity of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid on synaptic transmission. Enflurane may also inhibit glutamatergic excitatory transmission.
Enflurane is only found in individuals that have used or taken this drug. It is an extremely stable inhalation anesthetic that allows rapid adjustments of anesthesia depth with little change in pulse or respiratory rate. [PubChem]Enflurane induces a reduction in junctional conductance by decreasing gap junction channel opening times and increasing gap junction channel closing times. Enflurane also activates calcium dependent ATPase in the sarcoplasmic reticulum by increasing the fluidity of the lipid membrane. It also appears to bind the D subunit of ATP synthase and NADH dehydogenase. Enflurane also binds to and angonizes the GABA receptor, the large conductance Ca²⁺ activated potassium channel, the glycine receptor, and antagonizes the glutamate receptor receptor. These yield a decreased depolarization and therefore, tissue excitability which results in anesthesia.
An extremely stable inhalation anesthetic that allows rapid adjustments of anesthesia depth with little change in pulse or respiratory rate.

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Drug Indication
Enflurane may be used for both the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia. It can also be used to induce analgesia for vaginal delivery. Low concentrations of enflurane can also be used as an adjunct to general anesthetic drugs during delivery by Cesarean section.

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Mechanism of Action
The mechanism of action of enflurane is not completely established. Studies on rats indicate that enflurane binds to GABAA and glycine receptors, causing depressant effects at the ventral neural horn. It has been reported that 30% of the central nervous system depressant effects on the spinal cord after enflurane is administered are caused by the (GABA-A) receptor while binding to glycine receptors is responsible for about 20 % of the depressant effects. The relevance of these findings to humans is unknown. Other studies have found that enflurane binds to the calcium channels in the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum causing cardio depressant effects. Other studies support that this drug potentiates glycine receptors, which results in central nervous system depressant effects.
Renal toxicity has occasionally been observed after enflurane anesthesia. Although originally attributed to its oxidative metabolism to inorganic fluoride, serum levels of inorganic fluoride appear to be small to explain these renal effects. Formation of potentially nephrotoxic halogenated alkenes during alkaline degradation in carbon dioxide absorbers and subsequent bioactivation via the glutathione conjugation pathway may be considered as an alternative mechanism for renal toxicity. ... Alkaline degradation products of enflurane can be conjugated to thiol compounds, forming S-conjugates that could theoretically contribute to adverse renal effects observed occasionally with enflurane anesthesia. The N-acetyl-L-cysteine S-conjugates identified may be biomarkers to assess exposure of humans to alkaline degradation products of enflurane.
Clinical case reports of unexplained hepatic dysfunction following enflurane and isoflurane anesthesia led to the hypothesis that oxidative metabolism of these drugs by cytochromes P-450 produces immunoreactive, covalently bound acylated protein adducts similar to those implicated in the genesis of halothane-induced hepatic necrosis. Microsomal adducts were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting techniques utilizing specific anti-trifluoroacetyl (TFA) IgG hapten antibodies in rat liver following enflurane, isoflurane, or halothane administration. Preincubation of the antibodies with microsomes from halothane-pretreated rats or with 500 uM TFA-lysine, markedly inhibited adduct recognition, while preincubation with 500 uM acetyllysine had no effect. The relative amounts of immunoreactive protein adducts formed were halothane much greater than enflurane much greater than isoflurane and correlates directly with the relative extents of metabolism of these agents. These results support the view that acyl metabolites of the volatile anesthetics may become covalently bound to hepatic proteins, thus serving as antigens, and thereby account for the apparent cross-sensitization and idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity reported for these drugs.

C3H2CLF5O

184.49

183.971

13838-16-9

3226

Clear, colorless liquid
Stable, volatile, non-flammable liquid

1.517

56 °C

56-57°C

272mmHg at 25°C

1.303

2.352

0

6

3

10

107

0

C(C(F)(F)OC(F)F)(Cl)F

JPGQOUSTVILISH-UHFFFAOYSA-N

InChI=1S/C3H2ClF5O/c4-1(5)3(8,9)10-2(6)7/h1-2H

2-chloro-1-(difluoromethoxy)-1,1,2-trifluoroethane

NSC 115944; NSC-115944; Enflurane

2934.99.9001

Powder      -20°C    3 years

                     4°C     2 years

In solvent   -80°C    6 months

                  -20°C    1 month

Room temperature (This product is stable at ambient temperature for a few days during ordinary shipping and time spent in Customs)

May dissolve in DMSO (in most cases), if not, try other solvents such as H2O, Ethanol, or DMF with a minute amount of products to avoid loss of samples

Note: Listed below are some common formulations that may be used to formulate products with low water solubility (e.g. < 1 mg/mL), you may test these formulations using a minute amount of products to avoid loss of samples.

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Injection Formulation 1: DMSO : Tween 80： Saline = 10 : 5 : 85 (i.e. 100 μL DMSO stock solution → 50 μL Tween 80 → 850 μL Saline)
*Preparation of saline: Dissolve 0.9 g of sodium chloride in 100 mL ddH ₂ O to obtain a clear solution.
Injection Formulation 2: DMSO : PEG300 ：Tween 80 : Saline = 10 : 40 : 5 : 45 (i.e. 100 μL DMSO → 400 μLPEG300 → 50 μL Tween 80 → 450 μL Saline)
Injection Formulation 3: DMSO : Corn oil = 10 : 90 (i.e. 100 μL DMSO → 900 μL Corn oil)
Example: Take the Injection Formulation 3 (DMSO : Corn oil = 10 : 90) as an example, if 1 mL of 2.5 mg/mL working solution is to be prepared, you can take 100 μL 25 mg/mL DMSO stock solution and add to 900 μL corn oil, mix well to obtain a clear or suspension solution (2.5 mg/mL, ready for use in animals).

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Injection Formulation 4: DMSO : 20% SBE-β-CD in saline = 10 : 90 [i.e. 100 μL DMSO → 900 μL (20% SBE-β-CD in saline)]
*Preparation of 20% SBE-β-CD in Saline (4°C，1 week): Dissolve 2 g SBE-β-CD in 10 mL saline to obtain a clear solution.
Injection Formulation 5: 2-Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin : Saline = 50 : 50 (i.e. 500 μL 2-Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin → 500 μL Saline)
Injection Formulation 6: DMSO : PEG300 : castor oil : Saline = 5 : 10 : 20 : 65 (i.e. 50 μL DMSO → 100 μLPEG300 → 200 μL castor oil → 650 μL Saline)
Injection Formulation 7: Ethanol : Cremophor : Saline = 10： 10 : 80 (i.e. 100 μL Ethanol → 100 μL Cremophor → 800 μL Saline)
Injection Formulation 8: Dissolve in Cremophor/Ethanol (50 : 50), then diluted by Saline
Injection Formulation 9: EtOH : Corn oil = 10 : 90 (i.e. 100 μL EtOH → 900 μL Corn oil)
Injection Formulation 10: EtOH : PEG300：Tween 80 : Saline = 10 : 40 : 5 : 45 (i.e. 100 μL EtOH → 400 μLPEG300 → 50 μL Tween 80 → 450 μL Saline)

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Oral Formulation 1: Suspend in 0.5% CMC Na (carboxymethylcellulose sodium)
Oral Formulation 2: Suspend in 0.5% Carboxymethyl cellulose
Example: Take the Oral Formulation 1 (Suspend in 0.5% CMC Na) as an example, if 100 mL of 2.5 mg/mL working solution is to be prepared, you can first prepare 0.5% CMC Na solution by measuring 0.5 g CMC Na and dissolve it in 100 mL ddH2O to obtain a clear solution; then add 250 mg of the product to 100 mL 0.5% CMC Na solution, to make the suspension solution (2.5 mg/mL, ready for use in animals).

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Oral Formulation 3: Dissolved in PEG400
Oral Formulation 4: Suspend in 0.2% Carboxymethyl cellulose
Oral Formulation 5: Dissolve in 0.25% Tween 80 and 0.5% Carboxymethyl cellulose
Oral Formulation 6: Mixing with food powders

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Note: Please be aware that the above formulations are for reference only. InvivoChem strongly recommends customers to read literature methods/protocols carefully before determining which formulation you should use for in vivo studies, as different compounds have different solubility properties and have to be formulated differently.

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 (Please use freshly prepared in vivo formulations for optimal results.)