Protective effect of propofol against intracerebral hemorrhage injury in rats.

The neuroprotective effect of propofol against intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in rats was investigated. ICH was induced in rats by infusion of collagenase (Type VII) 0.5 U (1 U x microL(-1)) into the left caudate nucleus. Three doses of propofol were given intraperitoneally (i.p.) 10 min before collagenase infusion. Effects of propofol on neurological behavioral scores, brain water content (BWC), activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in brain tissue, expression level of caspase-3 were studied. In propofol groups (30 and 100 mg x kg(-1)), the neurological behavioral score, BWC and the content of MDA were significantly lower than those in ICH group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), whereas the activity of SOD was higher than that in ICH group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, propofol (15, 30, and 100 mg x kg(-1)) inhibited caspase-3 expression in dose-dependent manner (r = 0.877). Brain damages caused by ICH in rats can be alleviated by propofol, which mechanism might be attributed to its antioxidant activity.