Propofol inhibits growth of neurons through regulating insulin receptor and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor

Neurotoxicity is a common side-effect of anesthetics. Propofol, as an anesthetic, is reported to induce apoptosis of neurons and lead to cognition and learning deficits. In our present study, we explored the effect of propofol on growth of neurons as well as the underlying mechanism in vivo and in vitro. We found that propofol inhibited the growth of neurons and influenced the protein level of the insulin receptor (IR) and Insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R). Further mechanism study showed that, besides the reduction in receptor level of IR and IGF-1R, propofol activated PI3K-AKT signal and decreased the sensitivity of receptor, thus reducing glucose transporters (GLUTs) and inhibiting the growth of neuronal cells. Our study demonstrated that propofol inhibited the growth of neurons through the regulation of IR and IGF-1R. This study lays foundation for the exploration of propofol function as well as the employment of propofol in clinic.