Effects of sevoflurane anesthesia on expression of c-Jun N-terminal kinase and neuronal apoptosis in hippocampus in juvenile rats

Objective To investigate the effects of sevoflurane anesthesia on the expression of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and neuronal apoptosis in hippocampus in juvenile rats.Methods Forty healthy male SD rats, aged 30-35 days, weighing 100-110 g, were randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 20 each): control group (group C) and sevoflurane group (group S) . Group C inhaled a gas mixture of oxygen and air for 5 h and group S 3% sevoflurane for 5 h. The concentration of oxygen in both groups was maintained at 30% . Ten rats in each group were scarified at 1 h after regaining consciousness and the hippocampi removed for determination of phospho-JNK expression (by immuno-histochemistry and Western blot) and neuronal apoptosis (by TUNEL) . Another 10 rats were selected at 24 h after regaining consciousness to assess the cognitive function using Morris water maze. Results Compared with group C, phospho-JNK expression was significantly up-regulated, the number of apoptotic neurons increased, the latency prolonged and the duration of staying at the original platform quadrant shortened in group C ( P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01) . Conclusion Inhalation of 3.0% sevoflurane can induce neuronal apoptosis in hippocampus by activating JNK signaling pathway, thus leading to cognitive decline in juvenile rats. Key words: Anesthetic, inhalation;  JNK mitogen-activated protein kinases;  Apoptosis;  Hippocampus;  Neurons