Effects of sevoflurane pretreatment on renal Src and FAK expression in diabetic rats after renal ischemia/reperfusion injury.

The diabetic kidney is sensitive to ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury due to microvascular complications, such as cellular apoptosis and necrosis. The aim of this study was to determine if sevoflurane pretreatment could help preserve renal function in rats with diabetes mellitus (DM) by altering non-receptor tyrosine kinases steroid receptor coactivator (Src) and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) expression (Src and FAK are mediators of cellular apoptosis and necrosis). Male rats (N = 40) were randomly assigned to one of five groups: Group A, sham operation; Group B, renal I/R injury; Group C, DM + sham operation; Group D, DM + renal I/R injury; and Group E, DM + sevoflurane pretreatment + renal I/R injury. Sevoflurane pretreatment comprised exposure to 2.5 % sevoflurane for 30 min, followed by exposure to air for 10 min. After 24 h, serum creatinine (Cr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels, and renal Src and FAK expression (immunohistochemistry) were assessed. Compared with rats in C, rats in D had significantly higher Cr and BUN levels, but significantly lower renal Src and FAK expression. Rats in E had significantly lower serum Cr and BUN levels and significantly higher renal Src and FAK expression levels than rats in D. Our findings suggest that sevoflurane pretreatment in rats with DM protects the kidneys from ischemia/reperfusion injury in part due to increased renal Src and FAK expression.