The cell membrane is protected against lipid peroxidation through endogenous antioxidants such as the lipid soluble a-tocopherol. The anesthetic agent propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) has a chemical structure which is similar to ot-tocopherol, since it also contains a phenolic OH-group. The transient protection of GSH against lipid peroxidation in control liver microsomes is not observed in microsomes deficient in a-tocopherol. Introducing propofol (2 and 5 tiM) restored the protective effect of GSH. Similar to the control microsomes the GSH-protective effect did not occur in previously heated microsomes. These results suggest that propofol acts similarly to a-tocopherol as a chain breaking antioxidant in liver microsomal membranes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.