Anesthesiology
-
The concentration of peroxynitrite in the brain increases after central nervous system injuries. The authors hypothesized that propofol, because of its particular chemical structure, mitigates the effects of peroxynitrite-mediated oxidative stress and apoptosis by the induction of heme oxygenase (HO)-1 in primary cultured astroglial cells. ⋯ The antioxidant properties of propofol can be partially attributed to its scavenging effect on peroxynitrite as well as to its ability to increase HO-1 expression at higher concentrations, a property that might be relevant to neuroprotection during anesthesia.