Protective effect of propofol on lung injury induced by intestinal ischemia/reperfusion and its mechanism

Objective To investigate the mechanism and the protective effects of propofol on lung injury induced by intestinal ischemia/reperfusion(I/R). Methods Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 270～320 g were randomly divided into four groups with 8 animals in each group: sham-operation group, injury group whose intestinal I/R was produced by clamping super mesenteric artery (SMA) for 1 hour and declamping SMA for 3 hour, and two propofol treatment groups with doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg injected via i.p. The lung permeability index and lung water content were calculated. The activity of superocide dismutase(SOD) and level of malondialdehyde(MDA), nitric oxide(NO) as well as endothelin-1(ET-1) in the lung were analyzed. Results In injury group, the lung was damaged obviously, and the lung permeability index, lung water content, the levels of MDA and NO as well as the ratio of NO and ET-1 increased significantly, while SOD activity decreased significantly(P 0.01). In propofol treatment groups, the lung permeability index, lung water content, the levels of MDA and NO as well as the ratio of NO and ET-1 were lower in a dosage-dependent manner than those in injury group. Conclusions Propofol can alleviate lung injury induced by intestinal I/R by eliminating oxygen free radical, and reducing the generation of NO and keeping the normal ratio of NO and ET.