Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026
Use of a Piglet Model for the Study of Anesthetic-induced Developmental Neurotoxicity (AIDN): A Translational Neuroscience Approach
Published on: June 11, 2017
Sevoflurane exposure in 7-day-old rats affects neurogenesis, neurodegeneration and neurocognitive function
Fang Fang1, Zhanggang Xue, Jing Cang
1Department of Anesthesiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Objective:
Sevoflurane is widely used in pediatric anesthesia and former studies showed that it causes neurodegeneration in the developing brain. The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of sevoflurane on neurogenesis, neurodegeneration and behavior.
Methods:
We administered 5-bromodeoxyuridine, an S-phase marker, before, during, and after 4 h of sevoflurane given to rats on postnatal day 7 to assess dentate gyrus progenitor proliferation and Fluoro-Jade staining for degeneration. Spatial reference memory was tested 2 and 6 weeks after anesthesia.
Results:
Sevoflurane decreased progenitor proliferation and increased cell death until at least 4 days after anesthesia. Spatial reference memory was not affected at 2 weeks but was affected at 6 weeks after sevoflurane administration.
Conclusion:
Sevoflurane reduces neurogenesis and increases the death of progenitor cells in developing brain. This might mediate the late-onset neurocognitive outcome after sevoflurane application.
