Effect of Different Anesthetic Techniques on Cytokine Gene Expression in Patients who Underwent Elective Cesarean Section

Abstract

Cesarean section (CS) is an important challenge for a pregnant woman and her newborn. The most common anesthesia techniques used for CS are general anesthesia (GA) and spinal anesthesia (SA). This study was designed to compare the modulation of genes whose expression level is indicative of the immune system following exposure to GA and SA.

The present study was performed on 40 women who were scheduled for elective CS receiving GA or SA. The expression levels of the relative mRNA of Interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, Interferon (IFN)-γ, and tumor growth factor (TGF)-β before anesthesia (T0) and 24 hours post-anesthesia (T1) were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique.

Twenty-four hours post-anesthesia, the expression levels of IL-10, IL-17, and IFN-γ genes were decreased while the expressions of IL-4, IL-6, and TGF-β genes were upregulated in two groups, however, the differences were not significant. The mRNA level of IL-4 was increased in the SA group significantly.

The post-CS mRNA levels of IL-4 in the SA group may indicate that SA is more appropriate than GA for the initiation of tissue repair pathways.