American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology
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Am. J. Physiol. Heart Circ. Physiol. · Jul 2009
The effects of propofol on vascular function in mesenteric arteries of the aging rat.
Hypotension following administration of propofol, an anesthetic agent, is strongly predicted by advanced age and is partly due to direct vasodilation. We hypothesized that propofol increases nitric oxide (NO)-mediated vasodilation by enhancing its bioavailability in the aged adult vasculature, leading to greater vasodilation than in the young adult. Small mesenteric arteries from rats aged 13-15 versus 3 to 4 mo were compared in this study. ⋯ Pretreatment with SOD and catalase increased relaxation to ACh in aged arteries similar to propofol. In conclusion, propofol causes relaxation in small mesenteric arteries in an endothelial-dependent and independent manner and increases ACh-induced relaxation in aged arteries. Interestingly, propofol inhibits EDHF-mediated relaxation but increases availability of NO, which leads to overall vascular relaxation.