Effects of propofol and dexmedetomidine anesthesia on Th1/Th2 of rat spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVE Spinal cord injury (SCI) patients had major trauma during surgery, which thus necessitates optimal choice of anesthesia drugs. The specific selection of anesthesia agents may affect body immune system. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the anesthesia effect of propofol and dexmedetomidine on the rat SCI and their effects of Th1/Th2. MATERIALS AND METHODS Improved ALLEN's pouching method was used to generate rat SCI model. The SCI rat models were further divided into propofol and dexmedetomidine group for analyzing anesthesia time, duration, post-op analgesia time, SCI sensory function Reuter score. Real-time PCR quantified Th1 secreted cytokines interleukin (IL)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, Th2 secreted cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 mRNA expression levels. Enzyme labeled immunosorbent assay (ELISA) quantified serum cytokine levels. Th1 and Th2 cytokines were analyzed for correlation. RESULTS Dexmedetomidine had shorter anesthesia onset time, longer duration time, and elongated post-op analgesia time with lower Reuter score (p<0.05 compared to propofol group). No significant difference existed between heart rate (HR), respiration rate, SpO2, and body temperature (T) during surgery. Compared to dexmedetomidine, propofol had elevated mRNA or serum levels of IL-2 and TNF-α, plus significantly lower IL-4 or IL-10 expression (p<0.05). IL-2 and TNF-α levels were negatively correlated with IL-4 and IL-10 (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Dexmedetomidine had better effects for improving in-op and post-op anesthesia/analgesia effects than propofol. Both drugs can induce imbalance of Th1/Th2.