title: Propofol-mediated impairment of CA1 long-term potentiation in mouse hippocampal slices.
abstract: Propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) is a short-acting intravenous anesthetic. Propofol is known to impair maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP) in synaptic responses from Schaffer collateral-commissural (SC) pathway to CA1 pyramidal cells in the hippocampus, but the threshold concentration of propofol needed to elicit this action is unknown. The actions of propofol in vivo (e.g., amnesia, sedation, hypnosis and immobility) depend on its concentration, and thus it is necessary to determine the concentration required to impair CA1 LTP in order to assess the impact of impairment in vivo. In the present study, we investigated the effects of various concentrations of propofol on synaptic plasticity, primarily by measuring LTP at SC pathway to CA1 pyramidal cell synapses in mouse hippocampal slices. Continuous application of 50 microM propofol from 20 min before tetanus stimulation suppressed potentiation of the synaptic responses by tetanus stimulation. The suppression was pronounced from 10 min post-tetanus and about 55% suppression of the potentiation was observed at 60 min after tetanus. Propofol at 5 or 20 microM did not have this effect. The presence of gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA(A)) receptors antagonist, picrotoxin, abrogated the suppression of LTP by 50 microM propofol. Propofol 50 microM did not affect long-term depression (LTD). These results suggest that the suppression of hippocampal CA1 LTP via GABA(A) receptors requires a much higher propofol concentration compared with that needed to induce amnesia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Degenerative Neurological Diseases, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1, Ogawahigashi, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Takamatsu
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sekiguchi
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ozaki
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D015742:Propofol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous; D015742:Propofol