Flow cytometry evaluation of the in vitro influence of four i.v. anaesthetics on respiratory burst of neutrophils

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Abstract
Exposure of neutrophils to anaesthetic agents may alter their functional characteristics and in patients undergoing long-term sedation this may be clinically relevant. We have investigated the in vitro influence of propofol, thiopentone, methohexitone and midazolam on phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced respiratory burst of neutrophils by the intracellular oxidative transformation of dihydrorhodamine-123 to the fluorescent dye rhodamine-123 via flow cytometry. We tested in vitro concentrations similar to sedating, anaesthetic, 10-fold sedating and 10-fold anaesthetic plasma concentrations. All drugs showed similar inhibition of respiratory burst at sedating concentrations (1-6%). At anaesthetic concentrations, propofol produced significantly higher mean inhibition (7.3%) compared with thiopentone (4.5%) and methohexitone (0.9%). At 10-fold anaesthetic concentrations inhibition of respiratory burst by propofol was almost complete (90.8%) and significantly higher than that by thiopentone (29.2%) and methohexitone (1.8%). Methohexitone and midazolam had only minimal effects at all concentrations. The effect of the solvent of propofol (10% Intralipid) was similar to that of propofol. Thus suppression of respiratory burst of neutrophils by propofol may be caused by this lipid carrier.

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