The effect of propofol on toll-like receptor 4 expression in the rat lung tissues of LPS-induced acute lung injury.

Objective To investigate the effect of propofol on TLR-4 expression in lung tissues of LPS-induced acute lung injury in rat.Methods 24 Wistar rats were randomly allocated into 3 group(sn = 8 each):control group(C),LPS group(LPS)and propofol group(P).At 0,1,3 and 5 h after intratracheal instillation,mean arterial pressure and heart rate were recorded and arterial blood was sampled for blood gas analysis.Real-time PCR and Western blot were employed to examine TLR-4 mRNA and protein expression in lung tissues respectively.HE stain was used to observe pathologic changes of lung tissue.Tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in bronchioalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) was assessed by ELISA.Results MAP and PaO2 in LPS group and P group were significantly decreased compared with C group.TLR-4 mRNA and protein expression were significantly higher in LPS group than C group(P 0.05).Compared with LPS group,TLR-4 mRNA and protein expressions in P group were significantly suppressed(P 0.05).The grading of pathologic damage from mild to severe was C group,P group and LPS group.TNF-α in BALF was higher in LPS group(P 0.01)and P group(P 0.01)compared with C group,and the highest in LPS group.Conclusion Propofol has anti-inflammatory effect so as to attenuate the pathologic damage possibly by down-regulating TLR-4 gene and protein expression.