title: Shenfu injection attenuates neurotoxicity of bupivacaine in cultured mouse spinal cord neurons.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our previous in vivo study in the rat demonstrates that Shenfu injection, a clinically used extract preparation from Chinese herbs, attenuates neural and cardiac toxicity induced by intravenous infusion of bupivacaine, a local anesthetic. This study was designed to investigate whether bupivacaine could induce a toxic effect in primary cultured mouse spinal cord neuron and if so, whether the Shenfu injection had a similar neuroprotective effect in the cell model.
  
  
  METHODS
  The spinal cords from 11- to 14-day-old fetal mice were minced and incubated. Cytarabine was added into the medium to inhibit the proliferation of non-neuronal cells. The immunocytochemical staining of beta-tubulin was used to determine the identity of cultured cells. The cultured neurons were randomly assigned into three sets treated with various doses of bupivacaine, Shenfu and bupivacaine + Shenfu, for 48 hours respectively. Cell viability in each group was analyzed by methyl thiazoleterazolium (MTT) assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The viability of the cultured neurons treated with bupivacaine at concentrations of 0.01%, 0.02%, 0.04% and 0.08% was decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Although the Shenfu injection at concentrations ranging from 1/50 to 1/12.5 (V/V) had no significant influence on the viability of cultured neurons (P < 0.05 vs control), the injection significantly increased the cellular viability of cultured neurons pretreated with 0.03% bupivacaine (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although Shenfu injection itself has no effect on spinal neurons, it was able to reduce the bupivacaine-induced neurotoxicity in vitro.
authors: Department of Anesthesiology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China. lxiong@fmmu.edu.cn
authors: Li-ze
authors: LZ
authors: Xiong
authors: Qiang
authors: Q
authors: Wang
authors: Mu-yun
authors: MY
authors: Liu
authors: Ye
authors: Y
authors: Peng
authors: Qing-bo
authors: QB
authors: Li
authors: Zhi-hong
authors: ZH
authors: Lu
authors: Chong
authors: C
authors: Lei
mesh_terms: D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D002045:Bupivacaine / Q000633:toxicity*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007267:Injections; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C492793:Shen-Fu; D002045:Bupivacaine