Maternal Treatment with Propofol Attenuates Lipid Peroxidation after Transient Intrauterine Ischemia in the Neonatal Rat Brain

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether propofol has a neuroprotective effect on the fetal brain after intrauterine ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in the rat fetus. Fetal brain ischemia was induced by clamping the utero-ovarian artery bilaterally for 30 min and reperfusion was achieved by removing the clamps for 2 h. A 40-mg/kg single dose of propofol was administered intraperitoneally 15 min before I/R injury. Lipid peroxidation in the brain tissue was determined as the concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) for each fetal rat. Results showed that lipid peroxidation byproducts increased after I/R injury. Maternal treatment with propofol reduced TBARS compared to the I/R group. Propofol has been shown to have neuroprotective effects in intrauterine I/R-induced fetal brain damage in rats.

Neuroprotective effects of propofol, thiopental, etomidate, and midazolam in fetal rat brain in ischemia-reperfusion model

“…Our findings support that propofol has neuroprotective effect by preventing lipid peroxidation and, this is well correlated with previous work [8,22,23]. Our results also suggest that propofol is the most protective drug on the mitochondrial damage when compared with the other study drugs.…”

“…The neuroprotective properties of propofol may be related to the reduction in cerebral metabolism, potentiation of gama-aminobutyric acid receptors, altered cerebral blood flow, and its antioxidant ability [9,[19][20][21]. It has been shown that maternal treatment with propofol had a neuroprotective effect on the fetal rat brain after intrauterine IR injury [8,22,23]. Propofol may inhibit lipid peroxidation by its inhibitory effect on excitotoxicity and/or its direct free radical scavenging effect in vivo, and propofol might have a role in the induction of anesthesia for cesarean delivery especially in the presence of intrapartum asphyxia [23].…”

“…It has been shown that maternal treatment with propofol had a neuroprotective effect on the fetal rat brain after intrauterine IR injury [8,22,23]. Propofol may inhibit lipid peroxidation by its inhibitory effect on excitotoxicity and/or its direct free radical scavenging effect in vivo, and propofol might have a role in the induction of anesthesia for cesarean delivery especially in the presence of intrapartum asphyxia [23].…”

Effects of Erythropoietin on Brain Function

“…3 min before fetal ischaemia-reperfusion was performed by clamping the utero-ovarian artery bilaterally for 20 min. Reportedly, lipid peroxidation was reduced in the brain tissue of fetal rats on rHu-EPO therapy of the mothers [205]. More details of the experimental procedures, rHu-EPO doses, dosing routes and drug levels of several of these studies have been summarised elsewhere [98,189].…”

Neuroprotective effect of magnesium sulfate and dexamethasone on intrauterine ischemia in the fetal rat brain: ultrastructural evaluation

“…Brain injury due to intrauterine ischemia is one of the main causes of perinatal death and neurological injury (2, 19,26). The reperfusion period that begins following ischemia is the most critical period when severe injury occurs.…”