It has been claimed that barbiturates uncouple oxidative phosphorylations (Brody & Bain, 1954; Brody, 1955). These authors have demonstrated that during the oxidation of pyruvate by liver and brain mitochondria, phosphate uptake was lowered proportionately more than oxygen uptake. Support for the uncoupling theory was derived from certain similarities between the barbiturates and 2:4dinitrophen...

Barbiturates are frequently used for the treatment of intracranial hypertension after brain injury but their application is associated with a profound increase in the infection rate. The mechanism of barbiturate-induced failure of protective immunity is still unknown. We provide evidence that nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), an essential transcription factor in T cell activation, is ...

Barbiturates enhance GABA receptor (sodium-independent) binding at 0°C to bovine brain membranes about 2-fold in chloride-containing buffer but not in chloride-free phosphate or Tris/ citrate buffer. This effect is observed in frozen and thawed, thoroughly washed membranes from various regions of bovine brain as well as washed membranes prepared from unfrozen rat cerebral cortex; it is destroye...

The connexion between acute porphyria and barbiturate poisoning was pointed out by Waldenstrom (1939), who stated that practically all fatal cases of acute porphyria had been treated with large doses of barbiturates; on the other hand, the less severe cases as a rule received no such treatment, and further (Waldenstrom, 1940) in the majority of cases of acute porphyria large quantities of, for ...

The term 'barbiturate' refers to drugs which are derivatives of barbituric acid (malonylurea). Barbituric acid itself has no significant psychotropic properties, but its derivatives may have a variety of effects on the central nervous system. Certain of those compounds with significant depressant or sedative-hypnotic properties are of primary importance in medical and nonmedical use. Many of th...