The Association Between Telomere Length and Propofol Dose in Anesthesia-induction

Telomeres are protein-bound DNA repeat structures at the end of eukaryotic chromosomes that are made up of a simple repetitive sequence (in humans, TTAGGG) and regulate cellular replicative capacity and cellular proliferation, protect chromosomes from fusing together during mitosis and maintain genomic stability, and prevent the loss of genetic data. Telomeres are specialized repetitive DNA sequences, typically ranging from 5,000 to 15,000 bp in humans, which are the critical chromosome capping DNA sequences. The loss of telomere repeats diminishes telomeric functional capacity.Telomere length(TL) is important in determining telomere function.This is known as the end replication problem and results in a gradual decline in TL over time. Consequently,leukocyte TL shortens in a predictable way with age by roughly 20-40 base pairs per year. Cellular senescence and subsequent cell death often occur when the mean telomere length reaches a critical value.Shortened telomeres and lower telomerase are linked to age-related risk factors and disease.Peripheral blood leukocyte express telomerase at low levels, which can be measured over a short duration (hours) to demonstrate immediate, short-term changes. Shorter mean leukocyte telomere length has been shown to be associated with risk of several age-related diseases.The dosage of propofol gradually reduced with the aging process. However,it is not known whether the telomere length and variation of telomerase in PBL relate to the dosage of propofol and time of consciousness disappearance in anesthesia induction. In this exploratory study, the investigators examined that the changes of peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length was associated with the dosage of propofol and time of consciousness disappearance in anesthesia induction. Given the importance of telomeres in nuclear and cellular function, the central role of telomere length in determining telomere function,the investigator study that the changes of telomere length in