Effects of different anesthetic agents on GM-CSF, MCP1, IL1α and TNFα levels in rat sepsis model

Abstract

Anesthetic agents could alter the course and outcome of physical trauma, as well as experimentally or naturally occurring severe infections, by regulating several immune response mechanisms. The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of several commercially used anesthetic agents (ketamine, propofole, pentylentetrazole - PTZ) on cytokine concentrations, animal survival and pathohistological changes in the model of rat sepsis. In adult, male Wistar rats after different anesthetic treatment and induction of sepsis by cecal ligation and punction we estimated serum levels of IL1α, TNFα, GM-CSF and MCP-1 at 12h intervals. After 48h of sepsis induction, the largest number of animals survived in the group treated with PTZ (47%), while the lowest survival rate was in the propofole treatment group (24%). Contrary to survival rate, the most abundant pathohistological changes were seen on preparations from PTZ and than in ketamine/PTZ treated groups, without any significant changes in the CNS of propofole treated animals. In the propofole treated group there was a prominent increament of GM-CSF values at 12h and 24h, followed by a significant decreament at 36h. These changes were negatively correlated to the survival rate in this group. This group had the lowest levels of MCP1 at all evaluated time intervals. After high initial levels, IL1α and TNFα levels fell to undetectable concentrations and at 24h increased to a high level. In PTZ as well as ketamine groups, at 12 h interval, GM-CSF levels were lower than in the propofole treated group. Contrary, MCP-1 levels were higher in these groups comparing to propofole group. After a high initial peak, IL1α levels decreased to low but detectable levels, followed by an intensive rise in ketamine treated, but with further decrement in pentazole treated groups. TNFα levels were low through all evaluated intervals in both these groups. Our results indicate that induction of anaesthesia of animals with sepsis with variuos anesthetic agents is connected to different pathohistological CNS changes, distinct serum cytokine profiles and diverse survival rates.