Propofol alters vesicular transport in rat cortical neuronal cultures

Neuronal intracellular transport is performed by motor proteins, which deliver vesicles, organelles and proteins along cytoskeletal tracks inside the neuron. We have previously shown that the anesthetic propofol causes dose- and time-dependent, reversible retraction of neuronal neurites. We hypothesize that propofol alters the vesicular transport of cortical neurons due to this neurite retraction. Primary cultures of co-cultivated rat cortical neurons and glial cells were exposed to either 2 μM propofol, control medium or the lipid vehicle, in time-response experiments. Reversibility was tested by washing propofol off the cells. The role of the GABA(A) receptor (GABA(A)R) was assessed with the GABA(A)R antagonist gabazine. Vesicles were tracked using differential interference contrast video microscopy. Propofol caused a retrograde movement in 83.4±5.2% (mean±S.E.M.) of vesicles, which accelerated over the observed time course (0.025±0.012 μm.s⁻¹). In control medium, vesicles moved predominantly anterograde (84.6±11.1%) with lower velocity (0.011±0.004 μm.s⁻¹). Cells exposed to the lipid vehicle showed the same dynamic characteristics as cells in control medium. The propofol-induced effect on vesicle transport was reversible and blocked by the GABA(A)R antagonist gabazine in low concentration. Our results show that propofol causes a reversible, accelerating vesicle movement toward the neuronal cell body that is mediated via synaptic GABA(A)R. We have previously reported that propofol initiates neurite retraction, and we propose that propofol causes vesicle movement by retrograde flow of cytoplasm from the narrowed neurite.