Neonatal Exposure to Propofol Interferes with the Proliferation and Differentiation of Hippocampal Neural Stem Cells and the Neurocognitive Function of Rats in Adulthood via the Akt/p27 Signaling Pathway / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Objective@#Neonatal exposure to propofol has been reported to cause neurotoxicity and neurocognitive decline in adulthood; however, the underlying mechanism has not been established.@*Methods@#SD rats were exposed to propofol on postnatal day 7 (PND-7). Double-immunofluorescence staining was used to assess neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG). The expression of p-Akt and p27 were measured by western blotting. The Morris water maze, novel object recognition test, and object location test were used to evaluate neurocognitive function 2-month-old rats.@*Results@#Phosphorylation of Akt was inhibited, while p27 expression was enhanced after neonatal exposure to propofol. Propofol also inhibited proliferation of neural stem cells (NSCs) and decreased differentiation to neurons and astroglia. Moreover, the neurocognitive function in 2-month-old rats was weakened. Of significance, intra-hippocampal injection of the Akt activator, SC79, attenuated the inhibition of p-AKT and increase of p27 expression. SC79 also rescued the propofol-induced inhibition of NSC proliferation and differentiation. The propofol-induced neurocognition deficit was also partially reversed by SC79.@*Conclusion@#Taken together, these results suggest that neurogenesis is hindered by neonatal propofol exposure. Specifically, neonatal propofol exposure was shown to suppress the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs by inhibiting Akt/p27 signaling pathway.

Ginsenoside Rb1 Attenuates Isoflurane/surgery-induced Cognitive Dysfunction via Inhibiting Neuroinflammation and Oxidative Stress / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Anesthetic isoflurane plus surgery has been reported to induce cognitive impairment. The underlying mechanism and targeted intervention remain largely to be determined. Ginsenoside Rb1 was reported to be neuroprotective. We therefore set out to determine whether ginsenoside Rb1 can attenuate isoflurane/surgery-induced cognitive dysfunction via inhibiting neuroinflammation and oxidative stress.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Five-months-old C57BL/6J female mice were treated with 1.4% isoflurane plus abdominal surgery for two hours. Sixty mg/kg ginsenoside Rb1 were given intraperitoneally from 7 days before surgery. Cognition of the mice were assessed by Barnes Maze. Levels of postsynaptic density-95 and synaptophysin in mice hippocampus were measured by Western blot. Levels of reactive oxygen species, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 in mice hippocampus were measured by ELISA.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Here we show for the first time that the ginsenoside Rb1 treatment attenuated the isoflurane/surgery-induced cognitive impairment. Moreover, ginsenoside Rb1 attenuated the isoflurane/surgery-induced synapse dysfunction. Finally, ginsenoside Rb1 mitigated the isoflurane/surgery-induced elevation levels of reactive oxygen species, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 in the mice hippocampus.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These results suggest that ginsenoside Rb1 may attenuate the isoflurane/surgery-induced cognitive impairment by inhibiting neuroinflammation and oxidative stress pending future studies.</p>

Ginsenoside Rg1 Attenuates Isoflurane-induced Caspase-3 Activation via Inhibiting Mitochondrial Dysfunction / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The inhalation anesthetic isoflurane has been shown to induce mitochondrial dysfunction and caspase activation, which may lead to learning and memory impairment. Ginsenoside Rg1 is reported to be neuroprotective. We therefore set out to determine whether ginsenoside Rg1 can attenuate isoflurane-induced caspase activation via inhibiting mitochondrial dysfunction.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We investigated the effects of ginsenoside Rg1 at concentrations of 12.5, 25, and 50 μmol/L and pretreatment times of 12 h and 24 h on isoflurane-induced caspase-3 activation in H4 naïve and stably transfected H4 human neuroglioma cells that express full-length human amyloid precursor protein (APP) (H4-APP cells). For mitochondrial dysfunction, we assessed mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) and adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) levels. We employed Western blot analysis, chemiluminescence, and flowcytometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Here we show that pretreatment with 50 µmol/L ginsenoside Rg1 for 12 h attenuated isoflurane-induced caspase-3 activation and mitochondrial dysfunction in H4-APP cells, while pretreatment with 25 and 50 µmol/L ginsenoside Rg1 for 24 h attenuated isoflurane-induced caspase-3 activation and mitochondrial dysfunction in both H4 naïve and H4-APP cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These data suggest that ginsenoside Rg1 may ameliorate isoflurane-induced caspase-3 activation by inhibiting mitochondrial dysfunction. Pending further studies, these findings might recommend the use of ginsenoside Rg1 in preventing and treating isoflurane-induced neurotoxicity.</p>