Propofol protects against hemorrhagic shock-induced organ damage in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats

Patients with hypertension have higher mortality rates from hemorrhagic shock (HS) than normotensive patients. Several inflammatory mediators such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) can be produced by HS and lead to multiple organ dysfunction and death. We investigated the effects of high dose (10 mg/kg/hr) and low dose (1 mg/kg/hr) propofol treatment after HS in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). By withdrawing 40% of total blood volume from a femoral arterial catheter (6 ml/100 g body weight [BW]) for more than 30 min, HS was induced. The mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were monitored continuously for 24 hr after the start of blood withdrawal. Levels of biochemical parameters, including glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cre), creatine phosphokinase (CPK), and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured 30 min before and 0, 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 hr after the 30-min blood withdrawal period. Cytokine levels, including TNF-alpha and IL-10 in the serum, were measured 1 hr after HS. The kidney, liver, and lung were removed for pathology assessment at 48 hr after HS. HS significantly increased blood GOT, GPT, BUN, LDH, CPK, TNF-alpha, and IL-10 levels in conscious SHRs. Posttreatment propofol decreased serum TNF-alpha level, increased serum IL-10 level, attenuated the severity of organ damage, and improved survival rate after HS. This treatment protected SHRs against HS-induced organ damage. Moreover, high-dose propofol had a more protective effect than low-dose propofol against HS in conscious SHRs.