In the 'Meyer-Overton Rule,' the potency of an inhaled anesthetic is directly proportional to which physical property?
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Correct answer: Lipid solubility (oil:gas coefficient)
The Meyer-Overton Rule states that anesthetic potency, the reciprocal of MAC, correlates closely with lipid solubility as measured by the oil:gas partition coefficient. This historically suggested that anesthetics act by dissolving into the neuronal lipid bilayer, though modern theories emphasize direct interaction with membrane proteins.
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