Reduced antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of propofol at high-dose on morbidly obese patients

Abstract

This study was aimed to investigate differences in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of propofol at two commonly used dosing schedules on morbidly obese patients. Twenty-two morbidly obese patients were randomly divided into two groups, namely, TBW (dosing based on total body weight) and LBW (dosing based on lean body weight) groups. Three biomarkers, i.e. superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) were measured as indicators of the level of oxidation stress reaction. Pro-inflammatory cytokines including Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Interleukin-8 (IL-8) were used to describe the degree of inflammation. Plasma levels of SOD, MDA and NO were increased and reached a peak value 0.5h after anesthesia induction, but the increase was smaller in the LBW group compared with the TBW group. Besides, plasma concentrations of IL-6 and IL-8 were also increased and attained a peak level 0.5h after anesthesia induction, but the increase was higher in the TBW group compared with the LBW group. The LBW-based dosing of propofol had more potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects than the TBW-based dosing during anesthesia induction period on morbidly obese patients. This study provided a dosing recommendation of propofol for morbidly obese patients.