Effects of propofol on renal ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats

Renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) is a major cause of acute renal failure. The aim of this study was to investigate whether propofol pretreatment in a rat model protects kidney tissue against IRI. Thirty-two Wistar rats were equally divided into four groups: a sham-operated group, untreated renal IRI group, and low-dose (5 mg/kg) and high-dose (10 mg/kg) propofol-treated groups which were treated with propofol prior to the induction of IRI. The rats were subjected to renal ischemia by bilateral clamping of the pedicles for 50 min, followed by reperfusion. The low-dose and high-dose propofol treatment groups were pretreated via femoral vein injection with a propofol suspension prior to the induction of ischemia/reperfusion. The untreated IRI group showed significantly higher serum creatinine (SCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels compared with the sham-operated rats. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were significantly reduced following IRI; however, they significantly increased following propofol administration. Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) levels were significantly increased in the propofol-treated groups compared with the untreated IRI group. These results suggest that propofol reduces renal oxidative injury and facilitates repair following IRI. Propofol may play a protective role by regulating BMP2 expression in renal IRI.