[Dexmedetomidine suppresses the expressions of TLR4, NF-κB and ICAM-1 mRNA in the lung of rabbits during one lung ventilation].

Objective To investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine on lung injury and the expressions of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor κB p65 (NF-κB p65) and intercellular adhesion molecular 1 (ICAM-1) mRNA during one-lung ventilation (OLV) in rabbits. Methods Thirty healthy New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into three groups ( n=10 in each group): two-lung ventilation (TLV) group (group T), OLV group (group O), dexmedetomidine used during OLV group (group D-O). The rabbits in group T were treated with TLV for 3.5 hours, while in group O and group D-O, the rabbits were ventilated through right lung for 3 hours following 30-minute TLV. In group D-O, dexmedetomidine (1 μg/kg) were given intravenously for 10 minutes before tracheostomy, followed by intravenous infusion at the rate of 1 μg/(kg.h). Equal volume of normal saline was given in group O and group T as controls. At the end of the experiment, rabbits were sacrificed and lung tissues were collected. The pulmonary wet/dry mass (W/D) ratio was calculated and the pathological changes of the lungs were observed using HE staining under a light microscope. The expressions of TLR4, NF-κB p65, ICAM-1 mRNA were analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR. Results W/D ratio of left lung tissues in group O and group D-O were significantly higher as compared with group T. However, W/D ratio in group D-O was obviously lower than that in group O. Compared with group T, both group O and group D-O showed much more serious morphological damage in the lung, and such lung injury was less obvious in group D-O than in group O. The expressions of TLR4, NF-κB p65, ICAM-1 mRNA increased significantly in group O as compared with group T, and such enhancement was ameliorated by dexmedetomidine as observed in group D-O. Conclusion Dexmedetomidine might inhibit inflammatory responses and attenuate OLV-induced lung injury in rabbits, possibly by suppressing the expressions of TLR4 and NF-κB p65 mRNA.