Effect of isoflurane preconditioning on Bcl-2 and Bax mRNA expression after ischemia/reperfusion in gerbil brain

Objective:To investigate the effect of isoflurane(ISO) preconditioning on Bcl-2 and Bax mRNA expression after ischemia/reperfusion(I/R) in gerbil brain and the mechanism.Methods:Fifty gerbils were randomly divided into 5 groups:sham operation group,I/R group,ISO group,5-HD+ISO group,and 5-HD group.The bilateral common carotid arteries were isolated but not occluded in the sham operation group and occluded for 5 minutes in I/R group.The animals received isoflurane(1.2%~1.5%) preconditioning 60 minutes before I/R in ISO group,received 5-HD(10 mg/kg),the mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K+ channel(mitoKATP) blocker,and ISO before I/R in 5-HD+ISO group,and received 5-HD 30 minutes before I/R in 5-HD group.After 24 hours,the forebrains were sampled,and the total RNA was isolated by trizol reagent.The expression of Bcl-2 and Bax mRNA was determined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.Results:Bcl-2 mRNA expression in ISO group was significantly higher than that in sham operation group and 5-HD+ISO group(P 0.05).Bax mRNA expression in groups I/R,5-HD+ISO,and 5-HD was significantly higher than that in sham operation group(P 0.05).Conclusion:The isoflurane preconditioning has a protective effect on gerbil brain after I/R by promoting the binding of Bcl-2 to mitochondria and simultaneously preventing Bax translocation to mitochondria,which is the result of the activation of mitoKATP.