Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, cilt.25, sa.6, ss.817-823, 2005 (Scopus)
Objective: Apoptosis has been defined as physiologic cell death associated with morphological and biochemical processes. Neoplasms, viral infections, autoimmune diseases and AIDS can occur in the shield of defective apoptosis. Extracellular factors such as hormones, cytokines and chemicals including volatile and intravenous anesthetics, physical and viral agents as well as genetic factors play a role in the onset of apoptosis. The aim of this study was to detect the rate of neutrophile and lymphocyte apoptosis in peripheral blood samples of anaesthetists who were chronically exposed to waste anaesthetic gasses in the operating theatre and the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on this process. Material and Methods: Following the approval of Hacettepe University Ethics Committee, apoptosis rate was studied in blood samples of 20 randomly chosen anaesthetists and 10 doctors working in the emergency ward. Annexin V-FITC method was used. Living cells were separated. Neutrophiles were divided into two groups as NAC (+) and NAC (-). 10-3 M NAC was added to the NAC (+) group and incubated at 37°C with 5% CO2 and 95% humidity for 24 hours. After dual staining, cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: The rate of apoptosis was low among anaesthetists and the addition of NAC reversed this. The percentage of living cells was higher in the control group, (lymphocytes 19.53%, neutrophiles 72.19%) compared to the group of anaesthetists (9.19% and 33.53% respectively). After the addition of NAC the number of living cells increased significantly (lymphocytes 14.73% and neutrophiles 55.74%). Conclusion: Defective apoptosis may be a factor contributing to the increased incidence of cancer and teratogenicity among anaesthetists who are chronically exposed to volatile anaesthetics. Although N-acetylcysteine may be beneficial for protection against the hazardous effects of volatile anaesthetics, the most effective method is to decrease the amount of exposure to the minimum level possible. Copyright © 2005 by Türkiye Klinikleri.