The effect of propofol on hypoxia‐ and TNF‐α‐mediated BDNF/TrkB pathway dysregulation in primary rat hippocampal neurons

AIMS: Hypoxia and inflammation may lead to BDNF/TrkB dysregulation and neurological disorders. Propofol is an anesthetic with neuroprotective properties. We wondered whether and how propofol affected BDNF/TrkB pathway in hippocampal neurons and astrocytes. METHODS: Primary rat hippocampal neurons and astrocytes were cultured and exposed to propofol followed by hypoxia or TNF‐α treatment. The expression of BDNF and the expression/truncation/phosphorylation of TrkB were measured. The underlying mechanisms were investigated. RESULTS: Hypoxia and TNF‐α reduced the expression of BDNF, which was reversed by pretreatment of 25 μM propofol in hippocampal neurons. Furthermore, hypoxia and TNF‐α increased the phosphorylation of ERK and phosphorylation of CREB at Ser142, while reduced the phosphorylation of CREB at Ser133, which were all reversed by 25 μM propofol and 10 μM ERK inhibitor. In addition, hypoxia or TNF‐α did not affect TrkB expression, truncation, or phosphorylation in hippocampal neurons and astrocytes. However, in hippocampal neurons, 50 μM propofol induced TrkB phosphorylation, which may be mediated by p35 expression and Cdk5 activation, as suggested by the data showing that blockade of p35 or Cdk5 expression mitigated propofol‐induced TrkB phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS: Propofol modulated BDNF/TrkB pathway in hippocampal neurons via ERK/CREB and p35/Cdk5 under the condition of hypoxia or TNF‐α exposure.