title: Isoflurane prevents neurocognitive dysfunction after cardiopulmonary bypass in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Postoperative cognitive dysfunction occurs frequently after cardiac surgeries with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Available data from rat CPB models are conflicting. However, none of them was designed to investigate the role of isoflurane (the main anesthetic in all of these studies) in the neurocognitive dysfunction after CPB. Isoflurane has documented neuroprotective effects so the present authors hypothesized that isoflurane prevents the neurocognitive dysfunction in rats after CPB.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, interventional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A university research laboratory.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Sprague-Dawley rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups: the isoflurane CPB group, the animals were anesthetized with isoflurane and underwent 60 minutes of normothermic CPB; the chloral hydrate CPB group, the animals were anesthetized with chloral hydrate and underwent 60 minutes of normothermic CPB; the isoflurane sham group, the animals were subjected only to cannulation and the same duration of anesthesia but no CPB; the chloral hydrate sham group, the animals received only cannulation and the same duration of anesthesia but no CPB; and the naive group, the animals received no treatment. The neurocognitive function of all rats was measured on days 4 to 6 (short-term) and 31 to 33 after CPB (long-term). After the behavior tests, the animals were sacrificed, and the brain was harvested for the measurement of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and choline acetyltransferase protein levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Short-term (days 4-6 after CPB) learning and memory were impaired after CPB when the animals were anesthetized with chloral hydrate. When isoflurane was used, the learning and memory did not change after CPB. No long-term (days 31-33 after CPB) neurocognitive changes were found after CPB. AChE decreased significantly after isoflurane anesthesia regardless of whether CPB was performed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Isoflurane prevented the neurocognitive dysfunction induced by CPB, which might involve the cerebral cholinergic system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Beijie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Yuxiao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Shuyan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiangrui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Diansan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Su
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001639:Bicarbonates / Q000097:blood; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000523:psychology*; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D007530:Isoflurane / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D001639:Bicarbonates; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D007530:Isoflurane; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase; D000109:Acetylcholine