Abstract:

Objective To evaluate the cognitive function after anesthesia with propofol in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Methods Twenty-four male SHR of three months old were randomly divided into control group and propofol group, and were peritoneally injected with same volumes of normal saline and propofol, respectively. The changes of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse were detected before administration, immediately after administration and 3 h after administration by non-invasive blood pressure monitoring system. Rats were subjected to Morris water maze tests. Place navigation trails started 1 d after administration and lasted for 7 d, and escape latencies of two groups were compared. Spatial probe trials were conducted on the seventh day after platform removal, and the time percents during stay in each quadrant of two groups were compared. Results MAP and pulse detected immediately after administration and 3 h after administration in propofol group were significantly lower than the baseline data and those in control group (P<0.05). The escape latencies of both groups decreased with time of training, the escape latency of control group was significantly shorter than that of propofol group 2 to 4 d after training (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in the escape latency between two groups 5 to 7 d after training (P>0.05). Spatial probe trials revealed that the time percents during stay in the platform quadrant in two groups were more than 25%, and both were higher than those during stay in the other quadrants. Conclusion SHR may experience transient hypotension and bradycardia after anesthesia with propofol, and there may be cognitive function impairment in a short time. The cognitive function can be recovered to normal levels after enough training.

Key words: spontaneously hypertensive rat, propofol, Morris water maze, cognitive function