A brief exposure to isoflurane (50 s) significantly impacts on plasma cytokine levels in endotoxemic rats.

Induction of anesthesia by inhalation of isoflurane is a frequently used procedure in models of immunological diseases. Here we investigated effects of a brief exposure to isoflurane on cytokine production by endotoxemic rats. Anesthesia was either performed by pentobarbital/fentanyl without or accompanied by a 50-s inhalation pretreatment with isoflurane. After 4 h of endotoxemia, plasma levels of TNFalpha, IL-1beta, and RANTES were determined. Isoflurane significantly inhibited plasma levels of TNFalpha and IL-1beta by 69.3% and 61.8%, respectively. Levels of RANTES were similarly reduced by 43.1% (n.s.). Moreover, isoflurane significantly attenuated basal nitrite production by alveolar macrophages isolated from endotoxemic rats (by 59.4%). Thus, we confirm anti-inflammatory properties of isoflurane and beyond that clearly demonstrate that even a short exposure (<1 min) can profoundly affect pro-inflammatory parameters in experimental endotoxemia. These unforeseen observations suggest that short-term inhalation of isoflurane for induction of anesthesia may be an unsuitable procedure particularly in animal models of acute inflammation.