Determination of Antimicrobial and Antioxidative Properties of Several Anesthetic Drugs

Abstract

For various reasons, the balance between oxidative stress and the antioxidative defence system is disturbed during general anesthesia. On the other hand, thanks to their antioxidant effect, certain anesthetics have been suggested to protect from oxidative stress caused due to pathological states. In this study, potential antimicrobial and antioxidative activities of commonly used anesthetic drugs were evaluated to reveal possible effects after surgery. The antimicrobial activities of commercially purchased anesthetic drugs diluted with sterile physiological saline were investigated according to the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Furthermore, minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentrations were determined. Antioxidative potentials of the drugs were screened according to 2,2 diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl (OH●) radical scavenging assays. One of the tested drugs, Ketalar, containing ketamine hydrochloride was found to have an inhibition effect on all tested pathogenic microorganisms. At the same time, Mivacron and Pental Sodium formed the most significant inhibition zones on Micrococcus luteus. As expected, Propofol had no antimicrobial activity on most tested organisms. However, its antioxidant activity was the highest among the other drugs. Calculated SC50 values for DPPH-free and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities of Ultiva, Blok-L, and Zolamid were very close to Propofol. It can be concluded that using these drugs for anesthesia may suppress the risk of contamination and oxidative stress that may occur during use in many cases.