Sevoflurane induces cognitive impairment in young mice via autophagy.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Anesthesia may induce neurotoxicity and neurocognitive impairment in young mice. However, the underlying mechanism remains largely to be determined. Meanwhile, autophagy is involved in brain development and contributes to neurodegenerative diseases. We, therefore, set out to determine the effects of sevoflurane on autophagy in the hippocampus of young mice and on cognitive function in the mice.

METHODS:

Six day-old mice received 3% sevoflurane, for two hours daily, on postnatal days (P) 6, 7 and 8. We then decapitated the mice and harvested the hippocampus of the young mice at P8. The level of LC3, the ratio of LC3-II to LC3-I, and SQSTM1/p62 level associated with the autophagy in the hippocampus of the mice were assessed by using Western blotting. We used different groups of mice for behavioral testing via the Morris Water Maze from P31 to P37.

RESULTS:

The anesthetic sevoflurane increased the level of LC3-II and ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I, decreased the p62 level in the hippocampus of the young mice, and induced cognitive impairment in the mice. 3-Methyladenine, the inhibitor of autophagy, attenuated the activation of autophagy and ameliorated the cognitive impairment induced by sevoflurane in the young mice.

CONCLUSION:

These data showed that sevoflurane anesthesia might induce cognitive impairment in the young mice via activation of autophagy in the hippocampus of the young mice. These findings from the proof of concept studies have established a system and suggest the role of autophagy in anesthesia neurotoxicity and cognitive impairment in the young mice, pending further investigation.

• Authors: Xiaoning Wang, Yuanlin Dong, Yiying Zhang, Tianzuo Li, Zhongcong Xie
• Journal: PloS one (PLoS One) Vol. 14 Issue 5 Pg. e0216372 ( 2019) ISSN: 1932-6203 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 31107909 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Map1lc3b protein, mouse
• Microtubule-Associated Proteins
• Sequestosome-1 Protein
• Sqstm1 protein, mouse
• Sevoflurane

Topics

• Anesthesia, Inhalation (adverse effects)
• Animals
• Autophagic Cell Death (drug effects)
• Cognitive Dysfunction (chemically induced, metabolism, pathology, physiopathology)
• Hippocampus (metabolism, pathology, physiopathology)
• Maze Learning (drug effects)
• Mice
• Microtubule-Associated Proteins (metabolism)
• Sequestosome-1 Protein (metabolism)
• Sevoflurane (adverse effects, pharmacology)