Stem Cell-Like Human Endothelial Progenitors Show Enhanced Colony-Forming Capacity After Brief Sevoflurane Exposure: Preconditioning of Angiogenic Cells by Volatile Anesthetics

Exposure of Human Endothelial Progenitors to Sevoflurane Improves Their Survival Abilities

“…Furthermore, the levels of metabolic activity in the primed cultures were substantially increased, proving an expansion of the cellular population induced by sevoflurane. Our data are in line with the findings of Luchinetti et al, who reported that discontinuous exposure to 2% sevoflurane increases the colony forming units in EPCs cultures (13). However, decreased proliferation in MSCs exposed to serum deprivation and hypoxia could not be significantly improved by in vitro preconditioning with 2% sevoflurane for 2 hrs (14).…”

“…Recently, it has been suggested that the protective outcomes of anesthetic preconditioning may involve the modulation of stem cell dynamics and function. Enhanced mobilization of bone marrow endothelial progenitors following exposure to sevoflurane was reported by our group in rodents (12), and cultured EPCs isolated from healthy human volunteers preconditioned with sevoflurane exhibited a better colony-forming capacity (13). Moreover, in vitro priming with the same volatile anesthetic increased the number of colony-forming units and the expression of mRNA vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in cultures of EPCs isolated from human umbilical vein blood (13) and improved the viability and function of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) (14).…”

Effect of sevoflurane on human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells under conditions of high glucose and insulin

“…In a retrospective study, sevoflurane, one of the most commonly used volatile general anesthetics for cancer surgery patients, leads to lower overall survival rates than propofol [4]. Furthermore, several in vitro studies have revealed that sevoflurane increases cancer cell proliferation [5,6]. In a rodent study, it has been reported that there were different effects on glucose metabolism between sevoflurane and propofol [7], and glucose levels in rats anesthetized with sevoflurane were higher than those in propofol-anesthetized rats [8].…”

Liver surgery induces an immediate mobilization of progenitor cells in liver cancer patients: A potential role for G-CSF

“…[33][34][35][36][37] Besides that, certain anesthetics have been shown to increase the number of colony forming units of EPCs in healthy volunteers. 38 This may also provide an alternative explanation for the differences between the volunteers and surgical patients where the latter may have a more active catecholaminergic system during surgery. Altogether, it is tempting to speculate that tumors may benefit from the influx of progenitor cells after perturbation by treatment modalities.…”