Propofol and nitric oxide in TNF-alpha induced human ECV304 apoptosis

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) is increased in pathological conditions such as myocardial ischemia-reperfusion and in diabetes, exacerbating cardiovascular complications. Nitric oxide (NO) may play a dual role in TNF-induced vascular endothelial cell apoptosis, 1;2 a phenomenon accompanied by increased oxidative stress. We investigated whether the concomitant application of propofol (P), an intravenous anesthetic with antioxidant properties, with NO donor L-arginine (LA) could confer protective effects on TNF induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) apoptosis.