Objective      To determine the effect of propofol on the proliferation of neural precursor cells (NPCs) of piriform cortex in neonatal mice.       Methods      Fifteen healthy 7-day-old C57 mice from the same litters were randomly d

ivided into 3 groups

that is

control group

low- (30 mg/kg) and high-dose propofol groups (60 mg/kg). The animals of the 2 latter groups were treated with corresponding drugs on postnatal days 7 (P7) by intra-peritoneal injection

while those of the control group were injected with the same volume of 10% intralipid. They were given intra-peritoneal injection of 50 mg/kg BrdU on P8

and then were sacrificed in 2 h for brain tissue. Immunohistochemical assay was used to detect the expression of BrdU

Sox

2

and Nestin (neural stem cell marker) in piriform cortex.       Results      Compared with the control group (42.67±2.41)

the number of BrdU-positive cells in piriform cortex was significantly less in the low- (33.84±1.33

P0.05) and high-dose propofol groups (25.17±1.73

P0.01)

with that of the high-dose group obviously decreased than that of low-dose group (P0.05). There as no significant change in the number of Sox

2

-positve cells in piriform cortex of the low-dose propofol group (558.94±29.85) and the control group (618.67±24.01

P0.05)，but that of the high-dose propofol group (430.83±29.23) was remarkably lower than those of the low-dose (P0.01) and control group (P0.01). Further more

the number of BrdU-Sox2 double positive cells were not significant decreased after low-dose propofol treatment (24.73±0.69) compared with the control group (34.81±2.56

P0.05)

while the high-dose treatment significantly decreased the number as compared with that in the control group (12.48±0.80

P0.01) and the low-dose group (P0.05). Propofol treatment at lower (0.65±0.07) and high dose (0.60±0.08) decreased the optical density of the fibers of Nestin-labeled neural stem cells when compared with control group (1.00±0.00

P0.01).       Conclusion       Propofol inhibites the NPCs proliferation in piriform cortex of newborn mice in a related manner.