Isoflurane anesthesia impairs the expression of immune neuromodulators in the hippocampus of aged mice

PLoS One. 2018 Dec 20;13(12):e0209283. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209283. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Cognitive dysfunction is one of the most common postoperative complications experienced by older patients after anesthesia and surgery but the cause remains unknown. Immune molecules are essential for many aspects of neural homeostasis, including learning and memory, and an imbalance in immune neuromodulators is implicated in the development of neural dysfunction. Aging alters the control of neuroinflammatory cascades and general anesthetics are immunosuppressants. Therefore, we hypothesized that general anesthesia disturbs neuroimmune signaling in an age-dependent fashion. We tested this hypothesis by examining gene expression of key immune neuromodulators including IL-1β, TNFα, and CCL2 in the hippocampus of young adult (3 mo) and aged (20 mo) mice following isoflurane anesthesia. We show that isoflurane anesthesia increases expression of these signaling molecules in the hippocampus of young adult mice but decreases it in the hippocampus of old mice. Furthermore, anesthetized old mice had an amplified hippocampal neuroimmune response to systemically administered lipopolysaccharide compared to age-matched carrier controls. Together, these data indicate that isoflurane anesthesia disrupts hippocampal neuroimmune mediator gene expression in the old brain and suggests a potential mechanism by which general anesthesia can contribute to disordered neuronal homeostasis and post-anesthesia cognitive disability in older subjects.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aging / genetics
  • Aging / immunology*
  • Aging / psychology
  • Anesthetics, Inhalation / adverse effects*
  • Animals
  • Chemokine CCL2 / genetics
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / etiology
  • Gene Expression / drug effects
  • Hippocampus / drug effects*
  • Hippocampus / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Immunologic Factors / genetics
  • Interleukin-10 / genetics
  • Interleukin-1beta / genetics
  • Isoflurane / adverse effects*
  • Lipopolysaccharides / administration & dosage
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Models, Animal
  • Neurotransmitter Agents / genetics*
  • Neurotransmitter Agents / immunology*
  • Postoperative Complications / etiology
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / genetics

Substances

  • Anesthetics, Inhalation
  • Ccl2 protein, mouse
  • Chemokine CCL2
  • IL10 protein, mouse
  • IL1B protein, mouse
  • Immunologic Factors
  • Interleukin-1beta
  • Lipopolysaccharides
  • Neurotransmitter Agents
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
  • Interleukin-10
  • Isoflurane