This study is aimed to investigate the efficacy and underlying the mechanism of
propofol in treatment of
ischemia reperfusion (IR)-induced
lung injury in rats, providing a novel insight of therapeutic strategy for IR-induced
lung injury. 120 healthy SD rats were selected and randomly divided into
sham operation group, IR group, and
propofol group (40 rats per group). Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF)
protein content,
serum protein content, lung permeability index, lung water content rate, methane dicarboxylic
aldehyde (MDA) in lung tissue,
superoxide dismutase (SOD),
nitric oxide (NO),
endothelin (ET-1),
toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor (NF-κB), and
tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were examined and compared among different groups to evaluate the therapeutical effects of
propofol on IR-induced
lung injury and analyze the mechanism. In
sham operation group, neither change in lung tissue nor pulmonary interstitial
edema or alveolar wall damage was found under microscope; in IR group, marked pulmonary interstitial
edema and alveolar wall damage complicated with inflammatory cell infiltration and
hemorrhage were found; in
propofol group, alveolar wall widening was observed, however,
hemorrhage in alveolar cavity, inflammatory infiltration and tissue damage were less significant than in IR group. At 3 h after reperfusion, BALF
protein content, lung permeability index, and lung water content rate were all significantly increased in IR group and
propofol group, while the
serum protein content was significantly lower than
sham operation group (p < 0.05). Moreover, we found that the change of above parameters in
propofol group was less significant than in IR group (p < 0.05). No statistically significant difference was found in ET-1 levels in different groups (p > 0.05). In contrast, MDA and NO in IR group and
propofol group were significantly increased, while SOD activity was significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the change of above parameters in
propofol group was less significant than in IR group (p < 0.05). In addition, mRNAs of TLR4, NF-κB, and TNF-α were significantly increased in IR group and
propofol group (p < 0.05) with more significant change in IR group compared with
propofol group (p < 0.05).
Propofol has protective effects against IR-induced
lung injury by improving activity of
oxygen radical and restoring NO/ET-1 dynamic balance. Besides, regulation of TLR4, NF-κB, and TNF-α by
propofol also play important role in alleviating IR-induced
lung injury.