BackgroundPropofol is the most commonly used general anesthesia for patients with gastric cancer undergoing radical surgery. Studies have suggested that propofol exerts beneficial effects on the immune function of patients with cancer. However, the potential mechanism underlying propofol-mediated immune regulation remains to be elucidated. The present study investigated the regulatory effects of propofol on immune function in patients with gastric cancer undergoing radical surgery. MethodsELISA, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, gene transfection and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze the effects of propofol on gastric cancer cells.ResultsResults demonstrated that propofol general anesthesia resulted in an increased percentage of cluster of differentiation (CD)4+ and CD8+ cells, increased serum concentrations of interleukin (IL)-2 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, decreased serum concentrations of IL-1β and IL-8 following propofol general anesthesia in gastric cancer patients undergoing radical surgery compared with midazolam. In addition, propofol general anesthesia induced an imbalance in T helper (Th)1/Th2 cells, increased the number of natural killer cells and B cells, decreased the expression of prognostic factors, and improved tumor metastasis, recurrence and survival in patients with gastric cancer compared with midazolam. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry demonstrated that propofol downregulated nuclear factor (NF)-κBp65, and upregulated Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) expression level in gastric cancer tissues, downregulated the protein expression levels of NF-κBp65, JAK1, STAT3, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-8 protein expression in gastric cancer cells isolated from gastric cancer tissues. NF-κBp65 overexpression inhibited propofol-mediated upregulation of JAK1, STAT3, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-8 expression in gastric cancer cells. ConclusionsThese data indicate that that propofol may increase the number of T cells, stimulate T-cell proliferation, upregulate IL-2 and TNF-α expression, and enhance immune function via the NF-κB-mediated JAK1-STAT3 signaling pathway in patients with gastric cancer undergoing radical surgery.