Effects of propofol on Akt activity in rats with focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury

Objective To investigate the effects of different doses of propofol on Akt activity in the brain tissue in rats with focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (FC I/R) injury. Methods Ninety healthy SD rats of both sexes weighing 260-300 g were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=18 each):group Ⅰ sham operation (S);group ⅡFC I/R;group Ⅲ,Ⅳ,Ⅴ received iv propofol 1, 2, 5 mg/kg respectively + FC I/R (P1, ,P2 ,P3). FC I/R was produced by 2 h middle cerebral artery occlusion followed by 22 h reperfusian in group Ⅱ-Ⅴ. In group Ⅲ- Ⅴpropofol 1, 2 and 5 mg/kg were injected iv over 8 min starting from 3 min before reperfusion was started. Behavior was assessed using Longa score (0=no neurological deficit, 4=unable to crawl) at the end of 22 h reperfusion. Six animals were killed in each group for determination of infarct size, expression of caspase-3 (by irmnuno-histochemistry) and Akt activity (by Western blot). Results FC I/R caused cerebral infarct, significantly increased Longa score, and the expression of caspase-3 and decreased Akt activity in the brain tissue. Propofol 1 or 2 mg/kg significantly decreased the infarct size, Longa score and caspase-3 expression and increased phosphorylation of Akt in the brain tissue in group P1 and P2 as compared with group FC I/R (Ⅱ). Conclusion Propofol 1 and 2 mg/kg iv can reduce focal cerebral I/R injury by promoting phosphorylation of Akt in the brain. Key words: Propofol; Reperfusion injury; Brain; Protein kinascs