Effects of NBP on postoperative cognitive dysfunction in rats via Nrf 2/ARE pathway

Objective: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common postoperative disease that threatens patients’ quality of life, especially elderly patients. With the popularity of anesthesia/surgery, POCD has received more attention worldwide. The objective of this research is to evaluate 3-n-Butylphthalide (NBP)’s protective effect on postoperative cognitive function in rats and its related mechanisms. Methods: Tibial fracture models of senile rats of POCD were established and divided into blank control group, solvent group, NBP group, Nrf 2 agonist group, and Nrf 2 inhibitor group. The changes in the cognitive abilities of rats were systematically evaluated by the Morris water maze test. After hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining of the hippocampus, the morphological and structural changes of hippocampal neurons were observed by light microscopy. The expressions of apoptosis-related proteins were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and Western blot was used to detect the expressions of Nrf 2,HO-1,Mfn1,Mfn2,Drp1 proteins. Moreover, the changes in the morphology of mitochondria were observed by transmission electron microscopy. Results: Through the water maze test, we observed that the incidence of postoperative cognitive impairment in the NBP, agonist, and inhibitor groups was substantially lower as compared to the blank control group and solvent group (P < 0.05). The expressions of Nrf 2, HO-1, Mfn1, Mfn2, and Drp1 proteins in the NBP group were upregulated in comparison to the blank control group and the solvent group. The expressions of related proteins in the inhibitor group were substantially lower in comparison to the NBP group. Conclusions: NBP can affect the postoperative cognitive function of rats by activating the Nrf 2/ARE signaling pathway.