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*Department of Anesthesiology, Childrens Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; and
Department of Physiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, and the University of Florida Brain Institute, Gainesville, Florida
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Lisa Wise-Faberowski, MD, Department of Anesthesiology, Childrens Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02460. Address e-mail to Faberowski{at}tch.harvard.edu
| Abstract |
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IMPLICATIONS: This is the first investigation to evaluate the effect of volatile anesthetics on oxygen and glucose deprivation-induced neuronal apoptosis. Oxygen and glucose deprivation-induced neuronal apoptosis can be decreased by prior and continued administration of halothane or isoflurane.
| Introduction |
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Isoflurane has been examined at 12 minimum alveolar anesthetic concentrations (MAC) at varying levels of ischemia, comparing temporary focal ischemia with near-complete global ischemia, with evidence of decreased infarct volume (57). Halothane at 11.4 MAC demonstrates a beneficial effect during focal and incomplete cerebral ischemia (7,8). The early neuroprotective effects of volatile anesthetics are known, but the delayed effects are unclear (58). Thus, we performed an in vitroinvestigation to determine whether prior exposure before oxygen and glucose deprivation and continued exposure during oxygen and glucose deprivation to three concentrations each of halothane or isoflurane offered late neuroprotection, as determined by examination for neuronal apoptosis rather than necrosis.
| Methods |
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The cultures were exposed to glucose deprivation and hypoxia (Table 1). The original glucose-containing medium was removed and replaced with a glucose-free phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) (pH 7.4). All media changes were followed by a wash with PBS. No serum was included in the glucose-free PBS. Dishes exposed to hypoxia (PO2 <50 mm Hg) were placed in a small, 3-L, airtight experimental hypoxia chamber (Billups-Rothenberg, San Diego, CA) with inflow and outflow connectors (1012). The experiments were conducted in a constant 37°C environment by placing the chambers in a water-jacketed incubator. The gaseous environment was controlled by the delivery of all gas via a heater-humidifier (Fisher-Paykel, Laguna Hills, CA) servo-controlled to 37°C via the inflow adapter of the chamber. Using a portable blood gas analyzer (I-Stat, East Windsor, NJ) the oxygen, CO2, and pH of the media covering the cells were monitored. In the oxygen and glucose-deprivation phase, the media were washed with PBS and changed to hypoxic, glucose-free PBS.
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Cultures were exposed to volatile anesthetics (Table 1). For cultures receiving pretreatment with halothane or isoflurane, an in-line agent-specific calibrated Fluotec (Cyprane, England) gas vaporizer was used. A sampling port was connected to an end-tidal gas monitor (Datex Instruments Corporation, Tewksbury, MA) that was interposed between the outflow adapter and the gas exhaust system to measure oxygen and CO2 in addition to the volatile anesthetic administered. Fresh gas consisting of 20% oxygen, 69% nitrogen, and 6% CO2, in addition to the concentration of the selected volatile anesthetic (1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 MAC, respectively: halothane, 0.77%, 1.54%, and 2.31% ± 0.2%; and isoflurane, 1.13%, 2.26%, and 3.33% ± 0.3%) (12,13), was administered at 3 L/min until the desired end-tidal volatile anesthetic concentration was obtained as measured by the end-tidal gas analyzer. After the desired end-tidal concentration of anesthetic was achieved, approximately 10 min, the gas flow was decreased and maintained at 700 mL/min for 30 min. After 30 min, the inflow fresh gas mixture was changed to the hypoxic gas mixture while the previous end-tidal gas concentration was maintained. The volatile anesthetic gas concentration of the PBS was confirmed with a gas chromatograph (within 5%10% of the end-tidal gas concentration) (14). Cultures were exposed to halothane or isoflurane, in addition to oxygen and glucose deprivation, for 30, 60, or 90 min. Removing the PBS and returning the original media to the cultures terminated the period of anesthetic exposure. The cells were then placed back in the original incubator for 48 h, after which time the neurons were examined for apoptosis. All experiments were performed in triplicate.
Two approaches were used to assess neuronal apoptosis in these studies: terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated in situ nick-end labeling (TUNEL) and DNA fragmentation. The cultures were analyzed for apoptotic DNA fragmentation by TUNEL by using the In Situ Cell Death Detection Kit, AP® (Boehringer Mannheim, Eugene, OR) (15,16). Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase labels the 3'-OH terminal of the DNA strand breaks. Antifluorescein antibody Fab from sheep conjugated with alkaline phosphatase detects the incorporated fluorescein. After substrate reaction with Fast Red® (Boehringer Mannheim), the cells were examined under light microscopy, with blinding to treatment group. Cell morphology was also examined, distinguishing between cell lysis and apoptosis (17). All stained neurons, from those colored light pink, which may be an early apoptotic cell, to dark pink, which may represent a cell in the late stages of apoptosis or an apoptotic body, were considered as apoptotic without further classification. In addition, as neurons were located on top of the glia within the culture dish, we were able to focus the microscope away from the glia and include only the examination of stained neurons (18) (Fig. 1). The number of apoptotic neurons from each area (area = 0.09 mm2) were combined, and an average value was obtained for each treatment group. For each culture dish, the total number of neurons was counted with a Nikon Eclipse E-400 microscope (Nikon, Melville, NY) hooked up to a Sony color video camera (model DXC-970; Sony, Tokyo, Japan), and the image was analyzed with a computer program (microcomputer imaging device program, MCID-M4-3.0; Imaging Research, Inc., Ontario, Canada). Ten to 20 fields were examined in each dish and expressed per 10,000 total neurons. The total number of cells in each dish was analyzed across various treatments within each experiment, as well as across various experiments, to detect dish-to-dish variation and variation within different batches of cells (17).
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All results are expressed as the mean ± SEM and were obtained by combining individual experiments. Multiple means were compared by using one- or two-way analysis of variance followed by the Newman-Keuls test to assess statistical significance (P < 0.05). Statistical analyses were performed by using SigmaStat Software (Jandel Scientific, San Rafael, CA).
| Results |
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100%) (Figs. 24). The effects produced by the various concentrations of halothane used were not statistically significant from one another (P < 0.05). The attenuation of cortical neuronal oxygen and glucose deprivation-induced neuronal apoptosis by halothane was independent of the time period of exposure to oxygen and glucose deprivation.
Exposure of cortical neurons to isoflurane showed a similar but less pronounced reduction in neuronal apoptosis as compared with halothane (Figs. 24). Treatment with 1.13% isoflurane elicited no effect in the number of apoptotic neurons as compared with oxygen and glucose deprivation alone at the time periods of lesser exposure to oxygen and glucose deprivation (30 min). Attenuation of neuronal apoptosis by 1.13% isoflurane was not demonstrated until 60 and 90 min of exposure to oxygen and glucose deprivation (Fig. 2). Attenuation of oxygen glucose deprivation-induced neuronal apoptosis by isoflurane was similar to halothane and statistically significant from exposure to oxygen and glucose deprivation alone at 2.2% and 3.3% concentrations. Oxygen glucose deprivation neuronal apoptosis was attenuated by >50% at 2.2% and by
100% at 3.3%. This effect of isoflurane on hypoxia- and ischemia-induced neuronal apoptosis was independent of the time period of exposure to oxygen and glucose deprivation (Figs. 3 and 4).
The number of apoptotic neurons in the treated versus nontreated groups was statistically significant at all concentrations of halothane used (P < 0.05). The treatment effect, attenuation of neuronal apoptosis, was noted more at larger concentrations of isoflurane. Statistical differences of treatment with halothane versus isoflurane were noted more at the smaller concentration of halothane and isoflurane (P < 0.05). No statistical difference was seen between the two volatile anesthetics at larger concentrations (4.8% halothane and 3.3% isoflurane). When combining the independent factors, the duration of exposure to oxygen and glucose deprivation and the concentration of the administered volatile anesthetic were interrelated variables (P < 0.05). In addition, the effect of the administration of the volatile anesthetic and the concentration administered were covariables (P < 0.05).
These effects of halothane and isoflurane on hypoxia- and ischemia-induced neuronal apoptosis were confirmed by analyzing DNA fragmentation via gel electrophoresis. Exposure of cultured neurons to oxygen and glucose deprivation resulted in significant DNA fragmentation, as demonstrated by laddering, an effect that was attenuated by isoflurane and halothane.
| Discussion |
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Cell cultures provide a simple, straightforward system for examining the direct effects of volatile anesthetics on cellular response to oxygen and glucose deprivation, outside the complex physiologic milieu of the intact brain (10,11,20). This is the first logical step to establish the importance of volatile anesthetics on neuronal apoptosis after oxygen and glucose deprivation at the cellular level and will help to establish variables for future study. This system allows for control of variables, such as CO2, oxygen, pH, and temperature, that cannot be easily obtained in an in vivo model (10,21,22). In addition, anesthetic administration in a live rodent model to allow for the experimental procedure in and of itself allows for only the relative effects of the volatile anesthetics to be examined. This in vitromodel also eliminates the variability observed in cerebral blood flow in treatment groups in an in vivo model. However, anesthetic variability in cerebral blood flow and mean arterial blood pressure, with resultant effects on neuronal apoptosis, is an important aspect to examine and cannot be determined from this model. However, future investigation in an intact system would be useful to further establish the effect of volatile anesthetics on oxygen and glucose deprivation-induced neuronal apoptosis.
Previous in vitromodels of cerebral ischemia to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of volatile anesthetics have not used cell survival as a mechanism to measure efficacy (23). Examinations for cell death, i.e., with necrosis as an end point, have used cultured neurons as in this investigation (10,11,20). Neurons and astrocytes demonstrate distinct patterns of vulnerability. Pure cortical neuronal cultures show the greatest injury after three hours of oxygen and glucose deprivation as compared with striatal and hippocampal neurons (24), thus the use of pure neuronal cultures for this investigation.
The method of oxygen and glucose deprivation is similar to that used in other models of in vitroinvestigation (1012). The use of PBS pH 7.4, our artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF), allowed for us to eliminate glucose and serum, which could serve as a source of lactate and thus confuse the results obtained from the study. All cell cultures had their original media removed and replaced with PBS regardless of exposure to oxygen and glucose deprivation. The glucose deprivation alone (control: media change but no exposure to hypoxia), was, in and of itself, not a cause for neuronal apoptosis. Most likely, the change in millimolar concentration of glucose was not significant enough, in and of itself, to cause neuronal apoptosis. Previous preparation for this experiment demonstrates that the cell culture media, DMEM, contains 15 mM glucose that decreases 1 mM/d (unpublished data). Thus, the glucose concentration on Day 1014 is approximately 59 mM. This may not represent a significant change in glucose concentration when removed and replaced with PBS. It is also important to note that the original medium was returned to all the cell cultures, including the control. Variability in glucose concentration should not detract from the results of this experiment and can be demonstrated by the limited variability in the results (95% confidence limits).
The hypoxic conditions were created with a glucose-free aCSF bubbled with 95% nitrogen and 5% CO2 (1012). Determination of oxygen content is not as previously described, but was consistently <50 mm Hg, because this is the lower limit of the I-Stat monitor. The hypoxic conditions were sustained with airtight plastic containers (Billups-Rothenberg) to create a hypoxic chamber housed within an incubator to maintain a consistent temperature of 37°C. The methodology could have been improved with the use of a Clark oxygen electrode. Regardless, the conditions provided by the methodology were able to initiate neuronal apoptosis during the time periods examined consistently, as demonstrated by the narrow confidence intervals.
The administration of volatile anesthetics was as described by Popovik et al. (14). End-tidal gas concentration was confirmed with gas chromatography and noted to be within 5% of the end-tidal gas concentration as displayed on the Datex monitor. Preparative work for this investigation by using gas chromatography demonstrated that a minimum of three hours at high flows was necessary to achieve the desired gas concentration in the cell media (DMEM) preparation. At lower flows, the desired gas concentration in the cell media (DMEM) could be achieved at 12 hours (unpublished data). Complications of this preliminary investigation were evaporative losses and changes in the pH of the media based on duration of exposure. This prompted the use of PBS, pH 7.4, as our aCSF in this investigation. The desired gas concentration could be achieved within 10 minutes by using high flow and maintained at low flows for the time periods examined.
Neuronal necrosis occurs within two to six hours in the presence of prolonged severe oxygen and glucose deprivation (90 minutes). However, rodents subjected to mild temporary focal ischemia (30 minutes) and global ischemia exhibit delayed neuronal death via apoptosis within 4872 hours (2,16). Neuronal cell death is a continuum from necrosis to apoptosis. Neuronal apoptosis is a process denoted by endonuclease cleavage into 180-kd base pair fragments that can be detected by TUNEL staining (15,16). Some argue that TUNEL staining alone cannot differentiate the etiology of broken DNA, whether via apoptosis or necrosis (1). However, examination of cell morphology, such as cellular shrinkage and chromatin condensation, in addition to gel electrophoresis, further substantiates the presence of apoptosis (1,11). It is difficult to compare the results of our study with those of previous investigations for several reasons. Few investigations used cell cultures to look at neuronal injury (7,11,12). It is more important to note that that necrosis or infarct volume, a marker for early neuronal death, is the usual end point examined (17,10,11,20). Trypan blue staining or lactic dehydrogenase analysis would help to quantify neuronal necrosis in cell culture preparations, such as in this experiment (11,20). However, the end point for this investigation was neuronal apoptosis, which has not been investigated by others.
In a model of severe global ischemia, isoflurane at clinical concentrations, as used in this experiment, showed major decreases in histiologic damage, i.e., necrosis (6,7). Previous studies have shown selective delayed neuronal death with early attenuation (two days) by 1.5% isoflurane (5). However, when examined at two weeks, there was no difference between the two study groups examined. This model of forebrain ischemia would suggest that isoflurane does not attenuate neuronal apoptosis, but this is speculative. Our study, although in vitro, suggests differently. Furthermore, it is known that halothane offers protection when given during ischemia, but this is not true when halothane is administered after the insult (25). This investigation did not examine the effect of anesthetic neuroprotection in terms of neuronal apoptosis when the volatile anesthetic is administered after the onset of injury.
In conclusion, our investigation suggests that in the presence of oxygen and glucose deprivation, isoflurane and halothane attenuate neuronal apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner. Protection is afforded at concentrations that are considered clinically relevant. Furthermore, the protective effects of volatile anesthetics, such as isoflurane and halothane, may extend beyond the initial interval of the original insult.
| Acknowledgments |
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| References |
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