Impact of Anesthetics on Human Neutrophil Function

Anesthetics are widely used drugs administered in a multitude of clinical settings. Their impacts on various functions of the immune system have been studied but are still not fully understood. Neutrophil granulocytes are a critical first-line host defense mechanism against infections and contribute to the inflammatory phase of wound healing, but dysregulated neutrophil activation can also precipitate perioperative organ injury. A better understanding of the interactions between common anesthetics and neutrophils may reveal considerations toward optimizing treatment of our most vulnerable patients in the intensive care unit and in the perioperative setting. Accepted for publication October 12, 2018. Funding: A.M. is supported by the mentored research training grant of the International Anesthesia Research Society and is supported by the International Anesthesia Research Society Mentored Research Award. V.N. is supported by National Institutes of Health grant U54 HD090259. Conflicts of Interest: See Disclosures at the end of the article. Reprints will not be available from the authors. Address correspondence to Angela Meier, MD, PhD, Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Critical Care, 200 W Arbor Dr, San Diego, CA. Address e-mail to anmeier@ucsd.edu. © 2018 International Anesthesia Research Society

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