Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 165, Number 1, January 2002, 54-60

Antioxidant Protection of Propofol and Its Recycling in Erythrocyte Membranes

MASAHIKO TSUCHIYA, AKIRA ASADA, EMIKO KASAHARA, EISUKE F. SATO, MITSUO SHINDO, and MASAYASU INOUE

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pathology, and Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Abenoku, Osaka, Japan

-Tocopherol is a potent antioxidant that effectively protects biological membranes against oxidative injury through coordination with ascorbic acid. Because propofol has a phenolic structure similar to that of -tocopherol, this intravenous anesthetic may also have similar antioxidant activity. To test this hypothesis, the effect of propofol on oxidative injury of human erythrocytes was examined. Propofol inhibited oxidative hemolysis and cis-parinaric acid oxidation in erythrocyte membranes (ED₅₀ = 6 µM). Although ascorbic acid alone has no appreciable effect, the protective effect of propofol was enhanced by ascorbic acid. An electron spin resonance (ESR) study showed that propofol-derived radicals (g = 2.005) were continuously generated during the oxidation of erythrocyte membranes by an ascorbic acid-inhibitable mechanism. These and other results suggest that propofol interacts with ascorbic acid, thereby exhibiting potent antioxidant activity in and around membranes as does -tocopherol. Kinetic analysis revealed that propofol increased the membrane fluidity of erythrocytes, thereby increasing their resistance to physical and hemodynamic stress. Further, a greater preservation of red blood cell counts was seen after surgery with propofol compared with conventional sevoflurane anesthesia. Thus, propofol may protect erythrocytes against both oxidative and physical stress, indicating its potential as an efficient and safe antioxidant.

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