Dexmedetomidine on postoperative cognitive function in sleep-deprived rats

Objective: Dexmedetomidine is one of the most commonly used intravenous general anesthesia drugs in clinical practice. This study aimed to investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine on postoperative cognitive function in sleep-deprived rats. Methods: Forty rats were divided into control (Ctrl) group, sleep deprivation (SD) group, sleep deprivation + dexmedetomidine (SD + Dex) group and dexmedetomidine (Dex) group. SD model rats were trained for place navigation, and then rats were injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 mg/kg) intraperitoneally as well as Dex (0.04 mg/kg) or normal saline (0.04 mg/kg) by caudal vein. Spatial reference memory was measured five days later, and the hippocampus was harvested to determine the content of inflammatory factors and NF-kappa B p-p65 protein expression. Results: Escape latency and original platform standing time were lengthened in SD group compared with Ctrl group (P<0.05). Content of inflammatory factors and p-p65 protein expression in the hippocampus increased significantly in SD group while declined in SD + Dex group (all P<0.001). Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine can alleviate cognitive dysfunction induced by preoperative sleep deprivation in rats and inhibit inflammatory response.