[Effect of propofol upon brain after whole-body hyperthermia in rats].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of propofol upon acute cerebral insult during whole-body hyperthermia (WBH) in rats.

METHODS

Sixty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups. All the animals were trained with place navigation test of Morris water maze (MWM) for 5 days pre-study. After training, some rats received anesthesia only but not WBH treatment as control, other rats were anesthetized with intraperitoneal injection of 3.0 ml/kg of chloral hydrate and 100 or 150 mg/kg of propofol followed with WBH process (keeping rat core temperature at 42 degrees C for 30 min). Space memory was checked using spatial probe test 24 h after WBH intervention. Rat brain was then removed in 24 h post-WBH to separate hippocampal regions for the detection of neuronal apoptosis with TUNEL method and ultramicrostructural changes by electron microscope.

RESULTS

The escape latency were smaller in groups B0, C0, D0, C and D than that in group B (P < 0.05) while smaller in groups B0, C0, D0 than in groups B, C, D respectively. The amount of apoptotic neurons in hippocampus increased orderly as following with no significant differences in group B0, C0 and D0: group B0, C0, D0 < group D < group C < group B (P < 0.05). The injury degree of neuronal ultramicrostructure in hippocampus in group C after WBH were more severe than that in group D but better than that in group B.

CONCLUSION

Propofol alleviates the WBH-induced acute cerebral insult by inhibiting the hippocampal neural apoptosis.