['This investigation examined the possibility that the inhibitory effect of halothane on nonshivering thermogenesis (heat production) in brown adipocytes is not a universal effect of all anesthetic agents but related to the type of anesthetic.', 'Brown adipocytes from hamster were isolated with a collagenase digestion method and incubated with anesthetic agents. The rate of oxygen consumption was measured with an oxygen electrode. The effect of clinically relevant (and higher) doses of anesthetics of different classes on basal and norepinephrine-induced thermogenesis (oxygen consumption) was tested.', 'Two distinct groups of anesthetics could be distinguished: thermogenesis inhibitors and noninhibitors. Thermogenesis inhibitors include volatile anesthetics such as halothane (IC(50), 1.1 mm), ether (IC(50), 20 mm), and chloroform (IC(50), 2.2 mm) (nominal concentrations), but also tribromoethanol (IC(50), 0.6 mm), all inducing inhibition of norepinephrine-induced thermogenesis without affecting the EC for norepinephrine. Thermogenesis noninhibitors include the nonvolatile anesthetics pentobarbital, propofol, ketamine, and urethane, the inhalation anesthetic nitrous oxide, and, notably, also the volatile nonanesthetics (nonimmobilizers) 1,2-dichlorohexafluorocyclobutane and 2,3-dichlorooctafluorobutane; none of these compounds had any effect on norepinephrine-induced thermogenesis at any concentration tested.'] Is thermogenesis inhibition in brown adipocytes a specific property of volatile anesthetics?