Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 9, 2026

Adaptation of Microelectrode Array Technology for the Study of Anesthesia-induced Neurotoxicity in the Intact Piglet Brain
08:23

Adaptation of Microelectrode Array Technology for the Study of Anesthesia-induced Neurotoxicity in the Intact Piglet Brain

Published on: May 12, 2018

The effects of propofol on NMDA- or nitric oxide-mediated neurotoxicity in vitro

S Shibuta1, V Sriranganathan, T Inoue

  • 1Department of Anesthesiology, Osaka University Medical School, Suita-city, Japan.

Neuroreport
|February 24, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Propofol, an anesthetic, shows limited neuroprotection against NMDA receptor and nitric oxide (NO) toxicity in brain cells. It offers no advantage over thiopental in preventing this cytotoxicity.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Acute brain ischemia triggers neurotoxic pathways involving N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and nitric oxide (NO).
  • Propofol, a widely used intravenous anesthetic, is hypothesized to possess neuroprotective properties against such insults.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of propofol on NMDA and NO-induced neurotoxicity in primary cortical neuron cultures.
  • To compare the potential neuroprotective efficacy of propofol against NMDA/NO cytotoxicity.

Main Methods:

  • Primary cortical neurons from embryonic day 16 (E16) were cultured for 13-14 days.
  • Neurons were exposed to varying concentrations of propofol alongside NMDA or an NO-donor.
  • Neuronal survival rates were quantified to assess the impact of propofol treatment.

Main Results:

  • Propofol did not significantly alter neuronal survival when co-administered with NMDA (12.1% vs. 11.9% survival).
  • Propofol also failed to improve survival rates when neurons were exposed to an NO-donor (11.2% vs. 14.0% survival).
  • These findings indicate a limited role for propofol in mitigating NMDA/NO-induced neurotoxicity.

Conclusions:

  • Propofol exhibits minimal neuroprotective effects against NMDA and NO-mediated neurotoxicity in this experimental model.
  • Propofol does not demonstrate superior neuroprotective advantages compared to thiopental in the context of NMDA/NO-induced cytotoxicity.

More Related Videos

Recording Brain Electromagnetic Activity During the Administration of the Gaseous Anesthetic Agents Xenon and Nitrous Oxide in Healthy Volunteers14:52

Recording Brain Electromagnetic Activity During the Administration of the Gaseous Anesthetic Agents Xenon and Nitrous Oxide in Healthy Volunteers

Published on: January 13, 2018

A High-throughput Calcium-flux Assay to Study NMDA-receptors with Sensitivity to Glycine/D-serine and Glutamate04:48

A High-throughput Calcium-flux Assay to Study NMDA-receptors with Sensitivity to Glycine/D-serine and Glutamate

Published on: July 10, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Parenteral Anesthetics: Overview01:24

Parenteral Anesthetics: Overview

Intravenous anesthetics are drugs administered parenterally to induce anesthesia or sedation. Propofol is a widely used agent formulated as a 1% emulsion in soybean oil, glycerol, and egg phosphatide. It induces rapid anesthesia primarily due to its rapid distribution from the bloodstream to target tissues and is metabolized in the liver. However, it can cause significant pain on injection and hypertriglyceridemia. Fospropofol, a water-based prodrug of propofol, lacks these adverse effects.
Local Anesthetics: Adverse Effects01:12

Local Anesthetics: Adverse Effects

While local anesthetics are generally safe and well-tolerated, they can occasionally cause adverse effects that vary in severity. Local anesthetics can induce toxicity at two distinct levels. They can either produce local effects through direct contact with the neural elements or be absorbed into the bloodstream from the injection site, leading to systemic effects.
Once absorbed into the systemic circulation, local anesthetics can affect the organs that depend on the functioning of sodium...
Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Synthesis01:29

Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Synthesis

Drugs affecting neurotransmitter synthesis can impact the adrenergic neuron and the synthesis of neurotransmitters. For example, α-methyltyrosine and carbidopa target specific enzymes involved in catecholamine synthesis. α-methyltyrosine inhibits the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase, which converts tyrosine into dopamine. By blocking this enzyme, α-methyltyrosine reduces dopamine production and other catecholamines. Carbidopa, on the other hand, inhibits the enzyme dopa decarboxylase, which converts...
Drug Toxicity: Dose-Dependent Reactions01:24

Drug Toxicity: Dose-Dependent Reactions

Drug toxicities can be stratified into pharmacological, pathological, or genotoxic based on their mechanisms. The incidence and severity of these toxicities generally increase with the drug's concentration in the body and exposure time.Pharmacological toxicity is evident when the therapeutic effects of drugs overshoot into adverse reactions in a predictable, dose-dependent manner. Central nervous system (CNS) depression from barbiturates is a classic example, with effects escalating from...