Anesthesiology
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Anesthetic cardioprotection reduces myocardial infarct size after ischemia-reperfusion injury. Currently, the role of microRNA in this process remains unknown. MicroRNAs are short, noncoding nucleotide sequences that negatively regulate gene expression through degradation or suppression of messenger RNA. In this study, the authors uncovered the functional role of microRNA-21 (miR-21) up-regulation after anesthetic exposure. ⋯ The authors demonstrate for the first time that isoflurane mediates protection of cardiomyocytes against oxidative stress via an miR-21/programmed cell death protein 4 pathway. These results reveal a novel mechanism by which the damage done by ischemia/reperfusion injury may be decreased.
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Mechanical ventilation can injure the lung and induce a proinflammatory state; such ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) is associated with neutrophil influx. Neutrophils release DNA and granular proteins as cytotoxic neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). The authors hypothesized that NETs were produced in a VILI model and may contribute to injury. ⋯ NETosis was induced in VILI, and DNase treatment eliminated NETs. In contrast to experimental transfusion-related acute lung injury, NETs do not play a major pathogenic role in the current model of VILI.
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The authors have shown previously that inhaled anesthetics disrupt the interaction between the second postsynaptic density protein-95, Drosophila disc large tumor suppressor, and zonula occludens-1 (PDZ) domain of postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95) and the C-terminus of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunits NR2A and NR2B. The study data indicate that PDZ domains may serve as a molecular target for inhaled anesthetics. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be illustrated. ⋯ These results suggest that inhaled anesthetics interfere with PDZ domain-mediated protein-protein interactions at several receptors important to neuronal excitation, anesthesia, and pain processing.