Antioxidant effect of gamma-tocopherol supplied by propofol preparations (Diprivan) during ischemia-reperfusion in experimental lung transplantation.

Free radicals are involved in ischemia-reperfusion injury and inflammatory processes. The commercial formulation of the anesthetic propofol contains gamma-tocopherol and delta-tocopherol, which may exert antioxidant effects during transplantation. Animals were randomly assigned to a control group or experimental groups for lung transplantation after 3 and 24 h of ischemia. Individual tocopherols, malondialdehyde, biochemical indices, and hemodynamic, blood gas, and ventilatory parameters were determined during reperfusion. Results showed that administration of commercially available propofol provoked a time- and dose-dependent increment in serum gamma-tocopherol and delta-tocopherol in control animals and in the group receiving lungs subjected to 3 h of ischemia, but not in the group with 24 h of ischemia. Malondialdehyde levels increased during reperfusion and did not differ significantly between the two experimental groups, which did not differ with respect to lung function either. gamma-Tocopherol, supplied by the anesthetic, may act as an antioxidant that is consumed during reperfusion. This potential effect could be relevant to the choice of anesthetic agents in situations where free radical damage to tissues is expected.