Abstract
BackgroundPropofol is a widely used intravenous anesthetic that is well-known for its protective effect in various human and animal disease models. However, the effects of propofol on neurogenesis, especially on the development of neural stem cells (NSCs), remains unknown. Related microRNAs may act as important regulators in this process.MethodsPublished Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) DataSets related to propofol were selected and re-analyzed to screen neural development-related genes and predict microRNA (miRNA) expression using bioinformatic methods. Screening of the genes and miRNAs was then validated by qRT-PCR analysis of propofol-treated primary embryonic NSCs.ResultsFour differentially expressed mRNAs were identified in the screen and 19 miRNAs were predicted based on a published GEO DataSet. Two of four mRNAs and four of 19 predicted miRNAs were validated by qRT-PCR analysis of propofol-treated NSCs. Rno-miR-19a (Rno, Rattus Norvegicus) and rno-miR-137, and their target gene EGR2, as well as rno-miR-19b-2 and rno-miR-214 and their target gene ARC were found to be closely related to neural developmental processes, including proliferation, differentiation, and maturation of NSCs.ConclusionPropofol influences miRNA expression; however, further studies are required to elucidate the mechanism underlying the effects of propofol on the four miRNAs and their target genes identified in this study. In particular, the influence of propofol on the entire development process of NSCs remains to be clarified.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12871-016-0259-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Propofol is a widely used intravenous anesthetic that is well-known for its protective effect in various human and animal disease models
We hypothesized that miRNAs act as key regulators in these processes; in this study, we aimed to identify miRNAs that are differentially expressed following exposure to propofol using a non-traditional method based on in-depth analysis of published Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) Datasets
Candidate genes related to propofol exposure Based on the search strategies, a total of 420 different genes (Additional file 2: Table S1) that related to propofol exposure were selected when duplicates were excluded and their expression data were downloaded from the GEO Profiles
Summary
Propofol is a widely used intravenous anesthetic that is well-known for its protective effect in various human and animal disease models. MiR-9 was shown to be involved in the inhibition of embryonic stem cell self-renewal and neural differentiation following exposure to the inhaled anesthetic isoflurane [24] Another investigation indicated that anxiety-like disorders caused by postnatal exposure to sevoflurane may be related to miR-632, which targets BDNF and a voltage dependent calcium channel [25]. These recent investigations suggest a novel miRrelated mechanism responsible for the neurotoxicity of propofol, ketamine, isoflurane and sevoflurane in various in vitro and in vivo models.
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