Sevoflurane is a widely used anaesthetic agent, including in anaesthesia of children and infants. Recent studies indicated that the general anaesthesia might cause the cell apoptosis in the brain. This issue raises the concerns about the neuronal toxicity induced by the application of anaesthetic agents, especially in the infants and young children. In this study, we used Morris water maze, western blotting and immunohistochemistry to elucidate the role of α-lipoic acid in the inhibition of neuronal apoptosis. We found that sevoflurane led to the long-term cognitive impairment in the young rats. This adverse effect may be caused by the neuronal death in the hippocampal region, mediated through PI3K/Akt signalling pathway. We also showed that α-lipoic acid offset the effect of sevoflurane on the neuronal apoptosis and cognitive dysfunction. This study elucidated the potential clinical role of α-lipoic acid, providing a promising way in the prevention and treatment of long-term cognitive impairment induced by sevoflurane general anesthesia.
Recent Posts
- 2025 Annual Meeting, presented by the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) and the Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists (SOCCA), March 20 – 23, 2025, Honolulu, HI
- Exposure to Operative Anesthesia in Childhood and Subsequent Neurobehavioral Diagnoses: A Natural Experiment Using Appendectomy
- Long-term outcomes of early exposure to repeated general anaesthesia in children with cystic fibrosis (CF-GAIN): a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled phase 4 trial. Claire Elizabeth Wainwright, et al. June 2024
- Columbia University Physician Scientist and SmartTots Investigator, Caleb Ing, MD, publishes new findings regarding prenatal exposure to general anesthesia and subsequent risk to the child.
- A Scoping Review of the Mechanisms Underlying Developmental Anesthetic Neurotoxicity