Effect of sufentanil on apoptosis in spinal cord neurons of mice with peripheral nerve injury / 中华麻醉学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate the effect of sufentanil on apoptosis in spinal cord neurons of mice with peripheral nerve injury. Methods One hundred and fifty clean-grade healthy male BALB∕c mice, aged 6-8 weeks, weighing 18-22 g, were divided into 3 groups ( n=50 each) using a random number table method: sham operation group (group Sham), peripheral nerve injury group (group PNI) and sufentanil group ( group SF) . The model of unilateral sciatic nerve injury was established in PNI and SF groups. After establishing the model, sufentanil 5. 0 μg∕kg was intraperitoneally injected once a day for 3 consecutive days in group SF, while the equal volume of normal saline was given instead of sufentanil in Sham and PNI groups. Five mice in each group were sacrificed at days 1, 3, 7, 14 and 28 after surgery ( T0-4 ) , and L4-6 segments of the injure ipsilateral spinal cord were removed for examination of pathological changes ( with a light microscope) and for determination of neuronal apoptosis ( by TUNEL assay) . The ap-optosis index ( AI) was calculated. Five mice in each group were sacrificed at T0-4 , and L4-6 segments of the injured ipsilateral spinal cord were removed for detection of the expression of Bcl-2, Bax and cleaved caspase-3 by Western blot. The ratio of Bcl-2 expression to Bax expression ( Bcl-2∕Bax ratio) was calculat-ed. Results Compared with group Sham, the AI was significantly increased, the expression of Bcl-2 pro-tein was down-regulated, and the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax was up-regulated in PNI and SF groups ( P<0. 05) . Compared with group PNI, the AI was significantly decreased, the expression of Bcl-2 protein was up-regulated, the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax was down-regulated, the Bcl-2∕Bax ratio was increased (P<0. 05), and the pathological changes were significantly attenuated in group SF. Conclusion Sufentanil can inhibit apoptosis in spinal cord neurons of mice with peripheral nerve injury.