• R Hofbauer, M Frass, H Salfinger, D Moser, S Hornykewycz, B Gmeiner, and S Kapiotis.
• Department of General Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, The University of Vienna, Austria.
• Crit. Care Med. 1999 Sep 1; 27 (9): 1843-7.

ObjectiveTo test propofol and the solvent of propofol on leukocyte function in the presence of endothelial cell monolayers. The interactions of leukocytes with endothelial cells play a tremendous role during inflammation. Previous studies have investigated the influence of propofol on leukocytes.DesignProspective, controlled study.SettingUniversity research laboratories.SubjectsSeven independent experiments were performed to investigate the influence of propofol (0.4, 4, and 40 ng/mL) on the migration of human leukocytes through human endothelial cell monolayers. Moreover, the authors tested the solvent of propofol on leukocyte migration.InterventionsHuman endothelial cell monolayers and/or human leukocytes were preincubated with clinically relevant higher and lower concentrations of propofol. The amount of leukocyte migration after 3 hrs was measured with a fluorometer.Measurements And Main ResultsHuman endothelial cells isolated from umbilical veins were cultured on microporous membranes until they formed an endothelial cell monolayer. Leukocytes were separated by standard procedures. The migration of leukocytes through monolayers of endothelial cells using the clinically relevant concentration of propofol was reduced to 93% +- 3.8% (so; p < .05) when the leukocytes but not the endothelial cell monolayers were preincubated with propofol. Leukocyte migration was reduced to 80% - 5.9% (p < .05) when only monolayers of endothelial cells were treated with propofol, and was reduced to 73% + 10.4% (p < .05) when both leukocytes and monolayers of endothelial cells were treated with propofol. The higher and lower concentrations showed a dose-dependent effect. The solvent of propofol had no significant effect.ConclusionThe authors investigated the influence of propofol and its solvent on the interaction between both cell systems-leukocytes and endothelial cells. Propofol is able to reduce significantly the migration of leukocytes through endothelial cell monolayers. The use of different doses revealed a dose-dependent effect. The current model allowed treatment of one cell type: leukocyte or endothelial cell. The results of this investigation indicate that the influence of propofol on leukocyte migration affects endothelial cells more than leukocytes.

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