A clinical study on the effects of dexmedetomidine and propofol on erythrocyte deformability during anaesthesia

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the clinical effects of dexmedetomidine and propofol on erythrocyte deformability (ED) in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.Methods: A total of 522 patients undergoing gallbladder removal surgery were randomly divided into groups A (dexmedetomidine group), B (propofol group), and C (control). Erythrocyte suspensions were prepared from each group. Then, erythrocyte deformability index (EI) was measured in terms of RBC deformability. Moreover, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity, and concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) were determined. Patients in the three groups received the same anaesthesia induction and maintenance, and their EI and Hct values were assayed before anaesthesia (T0) and post-surgery (T1). The activity of eNOS in each group was assayed using immunofluorescence microscopy and western blotting analysis.Results: There were higher levels of EI and NO, and higher eNOS activity in erythrocytes in the dexmedetomidine group than in the propofol and ginsenoside groups (p < 0.05). Post-naethesia EI (T0) values were higher in propofol and control groups than in dexmedetomidine group (p < 0.05). The protein expression of eNOS was higher in dexmedetomidine group, as was evident from immunofluorescence and western blotting analyses.Conclusion: Perioperative use of dexmedetomidine during anaesthesia increases RBC deformability in vitro and directly upregulates eNOS activity in erythrocytes.