RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Given that anesthesia and surgery are known by their immunomodulatory effects, we aimed to compare the immune response after 1 or 3 anesthetic exposures to sevoflurane in a murine model without surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Young adult male mice, non-controlled for body conformation, were exposed 1 (group S1) or 3 times (group S3) to 3% sevoflurane in oxygen (1.2 maximum alveolar concentration) for 40 minutes. Untreated animals were used as controls. Three days after in vivo exposure to sevoflurane, the cellular composition of peripheral blood and of the spleen were studied. We also studied the in vivo response to exogenous (sheep red blood cells: SRBC) and endogenous antigens (heat shock proteins: HSP 65 and HSP 70) as well as biomarkers of toxicity. RESULTS: The number of leukocytes in peripheral blood decreased in S3 animals, and the number of lymphocytes decreased in both groups. B cells in spleen decreased only in the S1 group, but an increased in vivo response to SRBC was seen in both S1 and S3 mice in comparison with the control animals. Re-exposure to sevoflurane led to a decrease in immunoglobulin G response only to HSP 70. Plasma markers of liver and kidney function did not change after anesthetic exposure. CONCLUSION: Changes in leukocyte populations in peripheral blood and in antibody-producing capacity occur after either a single exposure or repeated exposures to sevoflurane. However no changes occur in biomarkers of toxicity.