Sevoflurane Affects Memory Through Impairing Insulin-Like Growth Factor Receptor Signaling

Administration of sevoflurane (SEVO) may induce learning and memory deficits, which increases the chances of developing Alzheimer's disease. Here, we studied the effects of SEVO exposure on rats with a focus on the role of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling. SEVO exposure significantly increased neuron cell apoptosis, and caused poor performance of the rats in behavior tests, by suppressing IGF-1 receptor (IGF1R). Bioinformatic analysis predicted microRNA(miR)-223-3p as an IGF1R-binding miRNA, the level of which increased in neurons after exposure to SEVO. In vitro, miR-223-3p suppressed the translation of IGF1R in neural cells. Moreover, transfection with antisense of miR-223-3p significantly attenuated SEVO exposure-induced neuron cell apoptosis. Taken together, these data suggest that SEVO-induced miR-223-3p upregulation suppresses IGF1R to impair IGF signaling, which subsequently leads to learning and memory impairments.