Timing of steroid treatment is important for cerebral protection during cardiopulmonary bypass and circulatory arrest: minimal protection of pump prime methylprednisolone

Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2003 Jul;24(1):125-32. doi: 10.1016/s1010-7940(03)00164-7.

Abstract

Objectives: The contact of cardiopulmonary bypass surface and patient's blood activates systemic inflammatory response which aggravates ischemia-reperfusion injury. This study evaluates the effects of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) on cerebral protection using different steroid administration protocols.

Methods: Eighteen (n=6/group) 4 week-old piglets were divided in three groups. Methylprednisolone (30 mg/kg) was administered intravenously 4 h prior to CPB in Group I, or added in pump prime in group II. Group III received no steroid. All animals were cooled to 15 degrees C followed by 100 min of DHCA, then rewarmed over 40 min and sacrificed 6 h after CPB. Post-operative weight gain, bioelectrical impedance, colloid oncotic pressure (COP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were evaluated. Determination of cerebral trypan blue and immunohistochemical assays of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 and caspase-3 activities were performed.

Results: Post-operative % weight gain (13.0+/-3.8 (I) versus 26.4+/-9.9 (II) versus 22.6+/-6.4 (III), P=0.02); % bioimpedance reduction (14.5+/-8.0 (I) versus 38.3+/-13.3 (II) versus 30.5+/-8.0 (III), P=0.003); mean COP (mmHg) (14.9+/-1.8 (I) versus 10.9+/-2.0 (II) versus 6.5+/-1.8 (III), P=0.0001) and systemic IL-6 levels (pg/ml) (208.2+/-353.0 (I) versus 1562.1+/-1111.4 (II) versus 1712.3+/-533.2 (III), P=0.01) were significantly different between the groups. Spectrophotometric analysis of cerebral trypan blue (ng/g dry weight) was significantly different between the groups (0.0053+/-0.0010 (I) versus 0.0096+/-0.0026 (II) versus 0.0090+/-0.0019 (III), P=0.004). TGF-beta1 scores were 3.3+/-0.8 (I) versus 1.5+/-0.8 (II) versus 1.5+/-0.5 (III), P<0.05, groups I versus II and I versus III. Remarkable perivascular caspase-3 activity was observed in groups II and III.

Conclusion: Different timing of steroid administration results in different inflammatory mediator response. Steroid in CPB prime is not significantly better than no steroid treatment, while systemic steroid pre-treatment significantly decreases systemic manifestation of inflammatory response and brain damage.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis
  • Biomarkers / blood
  • Brain / drug effects*
  • Brain / pathology
  • Cardiopulmonary Bypass / adverse effects*
  • Caspase 3
  • Caspases / analysis
  • Drug Administration Schedule
  • Glucocorticoids / administration & dosage*
  • Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / blood
  • Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / prevention & control*
  • Interleukin-6 / blood
  • Methylprednisolone / administration & dosage*
  • Models, Animal
  • Premedication*
  • Swine
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta / analysis

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Glucocorticoids
  • Interleukin-6
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta
  • Caspase 3
  • Caspases
  • Methylprednisolone