Effects of desflurane on central and peripheral clock genes in mice

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of the anesthetic drug, desflurane, on central and peripheral clock genes in mice. Methods C57BL/6J mice were anesthetized with different concentrations (3%, 4%, 6%, 7%, 9%) of desflurane, and then the effective concentration of desflurane was determined by detecting the loss of righting reflex. Then C57BL/6J mice and Per1-/-/Per-/- mice were respectively divided into air control group and desflurane treatment group. The mice from the latter group were given 7% desflurane treatment in 2 h after the light of feeding environment was turned on, and those of the control group was exposed to air at the same time. In 2 h later, the clock genes Per1, Per2, Dbp, Bmal1, Clock and Cry1 in the hypothalamus, kidney and liver tissues were detected by RT-qPCR. Results ① Treatment of 3% desflurane resulted in no disappearance of righting reflex, while those of 4%, 6%, 7% and 9% caused the mice achieving loss of the righting reflex accounted for 16.7%, 50%, 100 % and 100%. Therefore, the effective concentration of desflurane was determined as 7%. ② Compared with the control group, treatment with 7% desflurane significantly decreased the expression of clock gene Per2 in the hypothalamus tissue in C57BL/6J mice (P 0.05); It also significantly increased the expression of the clock gene Per1, while significantly decreased the expression of the clock genes Bmal1 and Dbp in the kidney tissue (P 0.05); In the liver tissue, the expression of clock gene Per1 was significantly increased (P 0.05). Compare with the control group, the Per1-/-/Per2-/- mice had significantly decreased the expression of Bmal1, Clock and Dbp in the hypothalamus tissue after treatment with 7% desflurane (P 0.05) in the liver and kidney tissue. Conclusion Desflurane significantly affects the circadian clock genes in mouse central and peripheral tissues, and there is a pathway independent form Per gene.

Keywords

• desflurane
• circadian clock
• righting reflex
• central tissue
• peripheral tissue