General anesthetic agents induce neurotoxicity through oligodendrocytes in the developing brain

• Published in: Dōngwùxué yánjiū Vol. 45; no. 3; pp. 691 - 703
• Main Authors: Hang, Wen-Xin, Yang, Yan-Chang, Hu, Yu-Han, Fang, Fu-Quan, Wang, Lang, Qian, Xing-Hua, Mcquillan, Patrick M, Xiong, Hui, Leng, Jian-Hang, Hu, Zhi-Yong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China Kunming Institute of Zoology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences 18.05.2024
• Subjects: Anesthetics, General - adverse effects; Anesthetics, General - toxicity; Animals; Apoptosis; Axonal plasticity; Brain; Brain - drug effects; Brain research; Cell proliferation; Central nervous system; Epigenetics; Gene expression; General anesthesia; Glial cells; Glial plasticity; Glycoproteins; Humans; Kinases; Metabolism; Metabolites; MicroRNAs; Myelin; Nervous system; Neural plasticity; Neuromodulation; Neuronal-glial interactions; Neurons; Neurotoxicity; Neurotoxicity Syndromes - etiology; Oligodendrocytes; Oligodendroglia - drug effects; Physiology; Proteins; Receptor mechanisms; Sheaths; Transcription factors; Neurotoxicity; Perioperative neurocognitive disorders; Central nervous system; General anesthetic agents; Oligodendrocytes
• ISSN: 2095-8137; 0254-5853
• DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2023.413

General anesthetic agents can impact brain function through interactions with neurons and their effects on glial cells. Oligodendrocytes perform essential roles in the central nervous system, including myelin sheath formation, axonal metabolism, and neuroplasticity regulation. They are particularly vulnerable to the effects of general anesthetic agents resulting in impaired proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Neurologists are increasingly interested in the effects of general anesthetic agents on oligodendrocytes. These agents not only act on the surface receptors of oligodendrocytes to elicit neuroinflammation through modulation of signaling pathways, but also disrupt metabolic processes and alter the expression of genes involved in oligodendrocyte development and function. In this review, we summarize the effects of general anesthetic agents on oligodendrocytes. We anticipate that future research will continue to explore these effects and develop strategies to decrease the incidence of adverse reactions associated with the use of general anesthetic agents.