The Role of microRNA in Anaesthetics-induced Brain Injury: A Narrative Review.

Exposure to anaesthetic agents during late pregnancy or early childhood may damage developing brains. This review summarizes research on how microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate brain responses to anaesthetics. A systematic PubMed search identified studies on sevoflurane, isoflurane, ketamine, and propofol. Many miRNAs were found to have roles in both protecting and harming brain cells under anaesthesia. The evidence suggests miRNAs are crucial in anaesthesia-induced neurotoxicity, but their exact functions remain unclear. Further basic, clinical, and translational research is needed to clarify how miRNAs contribute to this process.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Anaesthetics are commonly used agents during medical interventions and surgeries. Exposure to anaesthetic agents in late intrauterine life or early childhood may cause neurodegeneration in developing brains. Neuroapoptosis and neural inhibition provided by several mechanisms and microRNAs (miRNAs) have crucial roles in this milieu. miRNAs have critical roles in response to anaesthetic exposure. Through this review, we performed a systematic search of the PubMed database for studies on the role of anaesthetics in the brain and their relation with miRNAs. The terms "anesthetic", "miRNA", and "brain" were searched. Here we summarized the roles and interactions of miRNAs under exposure to anaesthetics in vivo and in vitro studies. Anaesthetic agents studied included sevoflurane, isoflurane, ketamine, and propofol. Many microRNAs were identified to have regulatory roles in anaesthesia-induced neurotoxicity. The literature study supports the idea that miRNAs play crucial functions in neuroprotection and neurotoxicity in anaesthesia administration. The exact role and implication of miRNA in anaesthesia neurotoxicity needs to be elucidated to gain more knowledge about the area. Several gaps in knowledge should be filled by conducting basic, clinical, and translational analyses in the future to decipher the definite role of miRNAs and their functions in the context of anaesthesia-induced neurotoxicity.