Sevoflurane inhibits the antioxidant capacity of erythrocytes

The aim of the present study was to observe the effects of sevoflurane on the antioxidant capacity, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) content and lifespan of erythrocytes. A 2% erythrocyte suspension was prepared from whole blood collected from healthy volunteers and then treated with sevoflurane at different concentrations (group A, 0%; group S1, 1%; group S3, 3%; and group S5, 5%), in the presence or absence of 200 µmol/l hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂, or H in group names). In order to evaluate the effects of sevoflurane on the antioxidant capacity and NO metabolism of erythrocytes, the hemolysis rate, catalase (CAT) content and eNOS content were determined, while the labeled phosphatidylserine rate and forward scatter of erythrocytes were detected using flow cytometry. Group S3 showed the highest hemolysis rate in the absence H₂O₂, while treatment with H₂O₂ increased the hemolysis rate of groups S1 and S3 (P=0.027). The CAT content in groups treated with sevoflurane was significantly lower compared with that in the control (group A, air group). The CAT content in groups S1+H, S3+H and S5+H remained significantly lower compared with group A+H (P<0.05). The eNOS content of group A was similar to that of group S3, while the content in group S1 was similar to that in group S5. In addition, the eNOS content of groups A and S3 increased, while that of groups S1 and S5 was reduced upon H₂O₂ treatment (P<0.05). The results indicated that sevoflurane reduced the antioxidative activity of erythrocytes, decreasing the resistant ability to H₂O₂ damage and increasing the hemolysis rate. The underlying mechanism may be associated with the inhibitory effect on the CAT activity of erythrocytes. Sevoflurane also inhibited the generation of nitric oxide in erythrocytes and reduced the tolerance of erythrocytes against oxidative stress damage due to H₂O₂.