Commentary
A research letter published in Anesthesia & Analgesia reports the first peer-reviewed description of BTTE, a new inhaled anesthetic compound investigated by Expanesthetics researchers and collaborators at UC Davis. The study, previously presented as an abstract at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the International Society for Anaesthetic Pharmacology, evaluated how the compound interacts with key anesthetic receptor systems and measured anesthetic and cardiovascular effects in a preclinical animal model. The investigators observed that BTTE produced general anesthesia and was associated with less hypotension compared with clinically used volatile anesthetics in this experimental setting.
Expanesthetics' discovery efforts are guided in part by the molar-water solubility hypothesis described by Dr. Robert Brosnan, which informs the identification of novel anesthetic compounds with differentiated molecular properties. Consistent with this framework, BTTE was shown to enhance GABA receptor currents while demonstrating no activity at the NMDA receptor, supporting a mechanism of action distinct from modern volatile anesthetics. Continued preclinical and translational studies will further evaluate BTTE and additional compounds emerging from this research approach.
Together, these results represent an important scientific milestone in Expanesthetics' effort to develop inhaled anesthetic agents with improved cardiovascular profiles. Hypotension remains a common and clinically significant consequence of general anesthesia, and identifying compounds with differentiated molecular and physiologic properties is central to addressing this unmet need.