Journal of neurosurgical anesthesiology
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Jan 2016
Dexmedetomidine Attenuates Neurotoxicity Induced by Prenatal Propofol Exposure.
Anesthetic agents (eg, isoflurane, propofol) may cause neurodegeneration in the developing brains and impair animals' learning ability. Dexmedetomidine (DEX), a selective alpha 2-adrenoreceptor agonist, has antiapoptotic properties in several brain injury models. Here, we tested whether DEX can protect the brain from neurodegeneration in rats exposed to propofol in utero. ⋯ DEX attenuates neuronal injury induced by maternal propofol anesthesia in the fetal brains, providing neurocognitive protection in the offspring rats.