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Updated: Jul 5, 2026
Lipopolysaccharide Infusion as a Porcine Endotoxemic Shock Model
Published on: December 8, 2023
Combined effects of propofol and dexamethasone on rats with endotoxemia
Cheng-Ming Tsao1, Shung-Tai Ho, Wen-Jinn Liaw
1Department of Anesthesiology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital and National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
Objective:
To clarify the effect of combined treatment with propofol and dexamethasone on hemodynamics, organ injury, and survival rate in rats with endotoxemia.
Design:
Randomized, prospective animal experiment.
Setting:
Academic research laboratory.
Subjects:
Male Wistar rats.
Interventions:
Rats were divided into five groups: a control group, a group of conscious rats infused with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide, two groups of lipopolysaccharide rats treated with either propofol or dexamethasone, and a group of lipopolysaccharide rats with combined treatment of propofol and dexamethasone.
Measurements And Main Results:
All hemodynamic and biochemical variables were measured during the 6-hr observation. Propofol plus dexamethasone attenuated hypotension and delayed hypoglycemia and metabolic acidosis caused by coadministration of E. coli lipopolysaccharide. In addition, propofol plus dexamethasone attenuated the lipopolysaccharide-induced multiple organ dysfunctions, such as lung, liver, and kidney. The increases in serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha, tissue nitric oxide, and superoxide anion levels were attenuated by propofol plus dexamethasone in lipopolysaccharide rats. Microscopic findings confirmed that propofol plus dexamethasone attenuated the substantial swelling and cell infiltration in lung and kidney caused by endotoxin. The 22-hr survival rate after endotoxin injection was markedly increased in lipopolysaccharide rats with combined treatment compared with the lipopolysaccharide rats (80% vs. 0%).
Conclusions:
The combined treatment with propofol plus dexamethasone reduced mortality rate and attenuated organ injury in conscious rats treated with lipopolysaccharide. These protective effects may be associated with their anti-inflammatory capacity and antioxidant activity.
