title: Propofol suppresses activation of the nociception specific neuron in the parafascicular nucleus of the thalamus evoked by coronary artery occlusion in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The neural response to acute myocardial ischaemia was reported as increases in neuronal activity of spinal projecting neurons and the neurons in the parafascicular nucleus (Pf) of the thalamus. The aim of this study was to investigate electrophysiologically the response of the nociception specific neuron (NSN) in the Pf to coronary artery occlusion (CAO) and a potential antinociceptive effect of propofol on the response in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  The left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery was instrumented with a snare occluder in anaesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats. The unit discharges of the NSN were recorded using a single-barrel glass microelectrode and analysed to examine the response to CAO. Once the effect of CAO on the discharge was detected, the antinociceptive effect of propofol was examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The NSN (30/46) showed a significant increase in the discharge rate following CAO. The increased discharge was suppressed immediately after intravenous injection of propofol at doses of 0.2 and 2 mgkg(-1). The inhibitory effect reached the maximum at 7 min (59.78 +/- 11.17% of suppression, P < 0.05) and 5 min (95.21 +/- 4.79% of suppression, P < 0.05) following administration of 0.2 and 2 mgkg(-1) of propofol, respectively. The effect of propofol was dose dependent and reversible. The maximum dose of propofol used in this study did not produce an anaesthetic effect and did not affect the spontaneous activity of the NSN.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this study suggest that propofol plays a role in modulation of the nociception associated with acute myocardial ischaemia, displaying an antinociceptive effect on cardiac visceral pain evoked by acute myocardial ischaemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, PR China.
authors.forename: Jin Ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D054059:Coronary Occlusion / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D020646:Intralaminar Thalamic Nuclei / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000187:drug effects*; D015742:Propofol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D015742:Propofol