Determination of Minimum Alveolar Concentrations of Isoflurane and Effective Plasma Concentration of Propofol in Common Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)

BackgroundCommon marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) have been widely used as laboratory animals; However, limited sedation and anesthetic protocols have yet to be established. In this study, the minimum alveolar concentration of an inhalant (isoflurane) and effective predicted plasma concentration of an injectable anesthetic (propofol) were measured for optimization of sedation and anesthetic protocols in marmosets.MethodsThe minimum alveolar concentrations (MACs) for several stimulations (nociceptive stimulation, endotracheal intubation, and non-painful direct stimulation), MAC-noci, MAC-extb, and MAC-awake, respectively, were measured for isoflurane with the up-and-down method from four healthy marmosets. Predicted plasma concentrations 50 (Cp50s), which are equivalent to MACs of isoflurane, Cp50-noci, Cp50-extb, and Cp50-awake, respectively, were measured for propofol.ResultsMAC-noci and MAC-extb of isoflurane in marmosets were 1.91% and 1.38%, respectively. MAC-awake was not determined owing to technical difficulties. Cp50-noci, Cp50-extb, and Cp50-awake were 9.45, 7.21, and 3.54 mu g/mL, respectively.ConclusionsThe obtained results refined existing isoflurane and propofol for sedation and anesthesia in marmosets.