Intergenerational Effects of Sevoflurane in Young Adult Rats

BACKGROUND:Sevoflurane administered to neonatal rats induces neurobehavioral abnormalities and epigenetic reprogramming of their germ cells; the latter can pass adverse effects of sevoflurane to future offspring. As germ cells are susceptible to reprogramming by environmental factors across the life...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Anesthesiology (Philadelphia) 2019-11, Vol.131 (5), p.1092-1109
Main Authors: Ju, Ling-Sha, Yang, Jiao-Jiao, Xu, Ning, Li, Jia, Morey, Timothy E, Gravenstein, Nikolaus, Seubert, Christoph N, Setlow, Barry, Martynyuk, Anatoly E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Factors
Anesthetics, Inhalation - administration & dosage
Anesthetics, Inhalation - adverse effects
Animals
Animals, Newborn
Epigenesis, Genetic - drug effects
Epigenesis, Genetic - physiology
Female
Male
Maze Learning - drug effects
Maze Learning - physiology
Prepulse Inhibition - drug effects
Prepulse Inhibition - physiology
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Sevoflurane - administration & dosage
Sevoflurane - adverse effects
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Summary:BACKGROUND:Sevoflurane administered to neonatal rats induces neurobehavioral abnormalities and epigenetic reprogramming of their germ cells; the latter can pass adverse effects of sevoflurane to future offspring. As germ cells are susceptible to reprogramming by environmental factors across the lifespan, the authors hypothesized that sevoflurane administered to adult rats could induce neurobehavioral abnormalities in future offspring, but not in the exposed rats themselves. METHODS:Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized with 2.1% sevoflurane for 3 h every other day between postnatal days 56 and 60. Twenty-five days later, exposed rats and nonexposed controls were mated to produce offspring. RESULTS:Adult male but not female offspring of exposed parents of either sex exhibited deficiencies in elevated plus maze (mean ± SD, offspring of both exposed parents vs. offspring of control parents, 35 ± 12 vs. 15 ± 15 s, P < 0.001) and prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle (offspring of both exposed parents vs. offspring of control parents, 46.504 ± 13.448 vs. 25.838 ± 22.866%, P = 0.009), and increased methylation and reduced expression of the potassium ion-chloride ion cotransporter KCC2 gene (Kcc2) in the hypothalamus. Kcc2 was also hypermethylated in sperm and ovary of the exposed rats. Surprisingly, exposed male rats also exhibited long-term abnormalities in functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal and -adrenal axes, reduced expression of hypothalamic and hippocampal Kcc2, and deficiencies in elevated plus maze (sevoflurane vs. control, 40 ± 24 vs. 25 ± 12 s, P = 0.038) and prepulse inhibition of startle (sevoflurane vs. control, 39.905 ± 21.507 vs. 29.193 ± 24.263%, P < 0.050). CONCLUSIONS:Adult sevoflurane exposure affects brain development in male offspring by epigenetically reprogramming both parental germ cells, while it induces neuroendocrine and behavioral abnormalities only in exposed males. Sex steroids may be required for mediation of the adverse effects of adult sevoflurane in exposed males.
ISSN:0003-3022
1528-1175
DOI:10.1097/ALN.0000000000002920