[Activation of astrocytes in the dorsomedial hypothalamus accelerates sevoflurane anesthesia emergence in mice].

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the regulatory role of astrocytes in the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) during sevoflurane anesthesia emergence. METHODS: =7) for assessing astrocyte activation in the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) under sevoflurane anesthesia. Two groups of mice received microinjection of agfaABC1D promoter-driven AAV2 vector into the DMH for GCaMP6 overexpression, and the changes in astrocyte activity during sevoflurane or air inhalation were recorded using calcium imaging. For assessing optogenetic activation of astrocytes, another two groups of mice received microinjection of an optogenetic virus or a control vector into the DMH with optic fiber implantation, and sevoflurane anesthesia emergence was compared using behavioral experiments. In the remaining two groups, electroencephalogram (EEG) recording during sevoflurane anesthesia emergence was conducted after injection of the hChR2-expressing and control vectors. Anesthesia induction and recovery were assessed by observing the righting reflex. EEG data were recorded under 2.0% sevoflurane to calculate the burst suppression ratio (BSR) and under 1.5% sevoflurane for power spectrum analysis. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to visualize the colocalization of GFAP-positive astrocytes with viral protein signals. RESULTS: <0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Optogenetic activation of DMH astrocytes facilitates sevoflurane anesthesia emergence but does not significantly influence anesthesia induction. These findings offer new insights into the mechanisms underlying anesthesia emergence and may provide a potential target for accelerating postoperative recovery and managing anesthesia-related complications.