Maternal sevoflurane exposure increases the epilepsy susceptibility of adolescent offspring by interrupting interneuron development.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Exposure to general anesthesia influences neuronal functions during brain development. Recently, interneurons were found to be involved in developmental neurotoxicity by anesthetic exposure. But the underlying mechanism and long-term consequences remain elusive.

METHODS:

Pregnant mice received 2.5% sevoflurane for 6-h on gestational day 14.5. Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizure, anxiety- and depression-like behavior tests were performed in 30- and 60-day-old male offspring. Cortical interneurons were labeled using Rosa26-EYFP/-; Nkx2.1-Cre mice. Immunofluorescence and electrophysiology were performed to determine the cortical interneuron properties. Q-PCR and in situ hybridization (ISH) were performed for the potential mechanism, and the finding was further validated by in utero electroporation (IUE).

RESULTS:

In this study, we found that maternal sevoflurane exposure increased epilepsy susceptibility by using pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induced-kindling models and enhanced anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in adolescent offspring. After sevoflurane exposure, the highly ordered cortical interneuron migration was disrupted in the fetal cortex. In addition, the resting membrane potentials of fast-spiking interneurons in the sevoflurane-treated group were more hyperpolarized in adolescence accompanied by an increase in inhibitory synapses. Both q-PCR and ISH indicated that CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling pathway downregulation might be a potential mechanism under sevoflurane developmental neurotoxicity which was further confirmed by IUE and behavioral tests. Although the above effects were obvious in adolescence, they did not persist into adulthood.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our findings demonstrate that maternal anesthesia impairs interneuron migration through the CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling pathway, and influences the interneuron properties, leading to the increased epilepsy susceptibility in adolescent offspring. Our study provides a novel perspective on the developmental neurotoxicity of the mechanistic link between maternal use of general anesthesia and increased susceptibility to epilepsy.

• Authors: Xinyue Liang, Ming Jiang, Hao Xu, Tianxiang Tang, Xiangpeng Shi, Yi Dong, Lei Xiao, Yunli Xie, Fang Fang, Jing Cang
• Journal: BMC medicine (BMC Med) Vol. 21 Issue 1 Pg. 510 (12 21 2023) ISSN: 1741-7015 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 38129829 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2023. The Author(s).

Chemical References

• Sevoflurane
• Pentylenetetrazole

Topics

• Humans
• Pregnancy
• Female
• Mice
• Animals
• Male
• Sevoflurane (metabolism, pharmacology)
• Pentylenetetrazole (toxicity, metabolism)
• Maternal Exposure (adverse effects)
• Interneurons (metabolism)
• Epilepsy (chemically induced)