The effects of thiopental and propofol on cell swelling induced by oxygen/glucose deprivation in the CA1 pyramidal cell layer of rat hippocampal slices.

UNLABELLED: Cellular swelling has been implicated as an early process after cerebral ischemia. We compared the effects of two commonly used IV anesthetics, thiopental and propofol, on hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cell swelling induced by oxygen/glucose deprivation (OGD) in vitro. Experiments were performed in rat hippocampal slices. Cell swelling in the CA1 pyramidal cell layer was evaluated by determining light transmittance (LT) change through the slices and by histopathological examination. For LT experiments, OGD was induced for 10 min by superfusing slices with glucose-free artificial cerebrospinal fluid equilibrated with 95% nitrogen and 5% CO(2). Thiopental and propofol were present 10 min before and during the period of OGD. The results showed that thiopental (100 and 400 microM), but not propofol (40 and 160 microM), significantly prolonged latency to the peak of LT increase after the onset of OGD. Consistent with the LT experiments, histopathological examination revealed that thiopental, but not propofol, attenuated CA1 pyramidal cell expansion and the gap diminution between CA1 pyramidal cells induced by OGD. These results suggest that thiopental, but not propofol, reduces the neuronal cell swelling caused by OGD. Whether the reduction of cell swelling is related to reduction in cell injury caused by OGD remains to be investigated.

IMPLICATIONS: We demonstrated that thiopental, but not propofol, attenuates ischemic neuronal swelling induced by oxygen/glucose deprivation in an in vitro ischemic model.