ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the changes in the expression of hippocampal α7 nicotinic ace-tylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) , acetylcholinesterase ( AChE) and choline acetyltransferase ( ChAT) after sevoflurane anesthesia in neonatal rats. Methods Seventy-two healthy Sprague-Dawley rats of both sexes, aged 7 days, weighing 25-40 g, were divided into 3 groups ( n=24 each) using a random number table method: control group ( group C) , air and oxygen group ( group A∕O) and sevoflurane group ( group S) . Rats were exposed to carrier gas ( air 1 L∕min plus oxygen 1 L∕min) for 2 h in group A∕O. Rats were ex-posed to 3. 4％ sevoflurane in carrier gas for 2 h in group S. Eight rats in each group were selected at 2 h, 1 week and 4 weeks after the end of inhalation, and sacrificed, brains were removed and hippocampal tis-sues were obtained for determination of α7nAChR, AChE and ChAT protein and mRNA by Western blot and real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Results Compared with group A∕O, the expression of α7nAChR mRNA was significantly down-regulated at each time point after the end of inhalation, and the expression of TnAChR was down-regulated at 2 h after the end of inhalation and up-regulated at 1 week after the end of inhalation, the expression of AChE mRNA was up-regulated at 2 h after the end of inhalation and down-regulated at 4 weeks after the end of inhalation, the expression of AChE was down-regulated at 4 weeks after the end of inhalation, the expression of ChAT mRNA was up-regulated at 2 h after the end of in-halation, and the expression of ChAT was down-regulated at each time point after the end of inhalation in group S ( P<0. 05) . Conclusion The expression of hippocampal α7nAChR is down-regulated at first and then up-regulated after sevoflurane anesthesia, the expression of ChAT and AchE in the later period is down-regulated, the tendency of protein expression mentioned above is different from that of its mRNA ex-pression, suggesting that sevoflurane may affect the protein expression through other pathways.
