Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Propofol exhibits good anticonvulsive effects, but the potential mechanism remains poorly understood.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of profofol on the ethological changes and survival rate of mouse models with toxicity induced by lethal dose of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA).
METHODS: Kunming mouse models of toxicity-induced by NMDA were established. Before NMDA administration, propofol was subcutaneously administered at a dose of 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg. The ethological changes and survival rate of toxic mice were observed. The positive control group mice were subcutaneously administered nonspecific NMDA receptor antagonist MK801 (2 mg/kg). A fat milk group was set and the same amount of fat milk was subcutaneously administered as control.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: NMDA at a dose of 175 mg/kg resulted in general seizure, and made all mice die within 10 minutes after convulsion. When 12.5, 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg/kg propofol was intraperitoneally administrated to mice within 10 minutes before NMDA injection, convulsion rate was decreased and survival rate was increased, in a dose-dependent manner. MK801 (2 mg/kg) could completely prevent convulsion, while fat milk could not produce protective effects on lethal dose of NMDA-induced toxicity in mice. These results showed that the anticonvulsive effect of propofol is possibly related to NMDA receptor.