Cognitive dysfunction after
propofol anesthesia has been previously found. The underlying mechanisms of this sequel remain unclear. Insoluble
proteins as major targets of
anesthetics participated in various pathophysiological processes. This study aimed to provide evidence that changes in insoluble
proteome in rat hippocampus may be involved in molecular mechanism of
cognitive dysfunction following
propofol anesthesia.
Proteins extracted from rat hippocampus were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). Their expression patterns were observed at 1, 6, 24 h and 7 days after 3 h of
propofol anesthesia. Differentially expressed
protein spots among groups were submitted to matrix-assisted
laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometer (MALDI-TOF MS) assay and
peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) identification. Identified
proteins were further analyzed through Gene Ontology (GO). Results of 2-DE were selectively assayed using Western blot and RT-PCR. Fifty-nine differentially expressed
proteins were detected, among which 43 were identified through MALDI-TOF MS. Most identified
proteins were distributed in organelles and membranes. According to biological process category, 27
proteins were involved in metabolic process, 19 in developmental process, 14 in stimulus-response, and 21 in biological regulation. Most changes took place within 24 h, with more down-regulation within 6 h. Twelve
proteins did not restore to the basic level until the 7th day after
propofol anesthesia. Expressions of insoluble
proteome dynamically changed following
propofol anesthesia. Down-regulations at early stage might produce depressive effects, which may be involved in molecular mechanism of
cognitive dysfunction after
propofol anesthesia.