lncRNA BDNF-AS Attenuates Propofol-Induced Apoptosis in HT22 Cells by Modulating the BDNF/TrkB Pathway

Propofol is widely used as an intravenous anesthetic in clinical practice. Previous studies have indicated that propofol induces apoptosis in neurons. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophic factor, is associated with neuronal apoptosis. BDNF-AS, a relatively conserved long non-coding RNA, can reverse the transcription of BDNF. This study aimed to investigate the involvement of BDNF-AS in propofol-induced apoptosis in HT22 cells. HT22 cells were treated with various concentrations of propofol at different time points. BDNF-AS was silenced using BDNF-AS-targeting siRNA. TrkB was antagonized by the TrkB inhibitor, ANA-12. Flow cytometry, quantitative reverse-transcription PCR, and western blotting were performed to analyze apoptosis and the expression of genes and proteins, respectively. In propofol-treated HT22 cells, BDNF-AS was upregulated, and BDNF was downregulated in a time- and dose-dependent manner. BDNF-AS downregulation mediated by siRNA mitigated apoptosis, upregulated the expression of Bcl-2, and downregulated the expression of Bax and caspase-3, 7, and 9. ANA-12 downregulated the expression of Bcl-2, upregulated the expression of Bax and caspase-3, 7, and 9, and increased apoptosis. Our study implied that inhibition of BDNF-AS can decrease propofol-induced apoptosis by activating the BDNF/TrkB pathway. Thus, the BDNF-AS-BDNF/TrkB signaling pathway may be a valuable target for treating propofol-induced neurotoxicity.