Abstract
Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) occurs in the elderly following surgery that requires inhaled anesthetics. The molecular mechanism associated with this process is unknown. This study examined the possible role of serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in cognition. We observed that sevoflurane, a common inhaled anesthetic, formed a separate phase in water similar to that of chloroform. Additionally, sevoflurane sequestered acrolein, which is a lipid peroxidation product associated with aging and is elevated in the elderly brain. The enhanced partitioning of acrolein increased the focal concentration and hence reactivity to serotonin which preferentially occurred at the sevoflurane-water interface. The resulting product exhibited unique properties similar to catecholamine-derived neuromelanin.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 77-81 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications |
| Volume | 363 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 9 2007 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors wish to thank Bill Glosser for the photography. The study was supported in part by a grant from the Division of Research, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences and research funds from the Department of Anesthesiology, University of Missouri—Kansas City/Saint Luke’s Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri.
Keywords
- Acrolein
- Neuromelanin
- Serotonin
- Sevoflurane