Pharmacological mechanism of propofol and its new clinical usage

Abstract

Abstract: Propofol is a short-acting intravenous anaesthetic agent which has the advantages of minimal side effects, controllable anaesthetic state, quick onset and rapid emergence from general anaesthesia.Apart from these anaesthetic advantages, it also has some non-anaesthetic effects. It has been found that propofol can protect heart, kidney and liver from ischemia-reperfusion injury. It has neuro-protective effects, immunomodulatory activity, antiemetic effects, antinociceptive actions and amnesic effects. It is obvious that these nonanaesthetic effects that propofol exerts can substantially change the daily use of propofol and may expand its pharmacological and clinical use. Advances in pharmacological mechanism and new clinical of propofol in recent years were summarized in this paper.

Key words: Propofol, Anaesthetic effects, Neuro-protection, Immunomodulation

CLC Number:

LIU Qiang, HONG Jiang, LI Xiao-yu. Pharmacological mechanism of propofol and its new clinical usage[J]. Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2010, 15(7): 836-840.

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