Patients with lung
ischemia-reperfusion injury (LIRI), involving
cytokines, including
interleukin (IL)-6 and
IL-8, display poor clinical outcomes.
Isoflurane displays protective effects against
ischemia-reperfusion injury in numerous organs. In the present study, the effects of
isoflurane on LIRI were investigated in vitro using a
hypoxia-reoxygenation (HR) cell model. The
mRNA expression levels of specific genes were analyzed by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and
protein expression levels were measured by ELISA and western blotting. Cell apoptosis and proliferation were assessed by flow cytometry and the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, respectively.
Isoflurane pretreatment decreased HR-induced
IL-6 and
IL-8 expression levels in A549 cells.
Isoflurane pretreatment also inhibited HR-induced cell apoptosis and Bax expression, and reversed HR-induced downregulation of Bcl-2 expression. Moreover,
isoflurane pretreatment decreased HR-induced NF-κB phosphorylated-p65
protein expression and NF-κB activation. Furthermore, HR-induced increases in
malondialdehyde concentration and decreases in
superoxide dismutase activity were reversed by
isoflurane pretreatment. In conclusion, the results indicated that
isoflurane suppressed LIRI by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB and the induction of cell apoptosis.