Title:Anaesthesia-induced Changes in Genomic Expression Leading to
Neurodegeneration
Volume: 23
Issue: 4
Author(s): Khalid Saad Alharbi, Waleed Hassan Almalki, Sami I. Alzarea, Imran Kazmi, Fahad A. Al-Abbasi, Obaid Afzal, Abdulmalik Saleh Alfawaz Altamimi, Mohammed Albratty, Asim Najmi and Gaurav Gupta*
Affiliation:
- School of Pharmacy, Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Mahal Road, Jagatpura, 302017, Jaipur, India
- Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, India
Keywords:
General anaesthetics, γ-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) receptor agonist, neurodegenerative disorders, Aβ plaqueassociated Alzheimer's disease, long-term potentiation, depression.
Abstract: General anaesthetics (GA) have been in continuous clinical use for more than 170 years,
with millions of young and elderly populations exposed to GA to relieve perioperative discomfort and
carry out invasive examinations. Preclinical studies have shown that neonatal rodents with acute and
chronic exposure to GA suffer from memory and learning deficits, likely due to an imbalance between
excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters, which has been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders.
However, the mechanisms behind anaesthesia-induced alterations in late postnatal mice have yet to be
established. In this narrative review, we present the current state of knowledge on early life anaesthesia
exposure-mediated alterations of genetic expression, focusing on insights gathered on propofol,
ketamine, and isoflurane, as well as the relationship between network effects and subsequent biochemical
changes that lead to long-term neurocognitive abnormalities. Our review provides strong evidence
and a clear picture of anaesthetic agents' pathological events and associated transcriptional changes,
which will provide new insights for researchers to elucidate the core ideas and gain an in-depth understanding
of molecular and genetic mechanisms. These findings are also helpful in generating more evidence
for understanding the exacerbated neuropathology, impaired cognition, and LTP due to acute
and chronic exposure to anaesthetics, which will be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of
many diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. Given the many procedures in medical practice that require
continuous or multiple exposures to anaesthetics, our review will provide great insight into the
possible adverse impact of these substances on the human brain and cognition.