The role of intestinal homeostasis in sevoflurane-induced myelin development and cognitive impairment in neonatal mice

Inhalational anesthetic sevoflurane is commonly used in pediatric anesthesia. Multiple exposures to sevoflurane in early postnatal life have been associated with long-term abnormalities in myelin development and cognitive and memory impairments, although the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely elucidated. Disruption of gut microbiota is recognized as an important contributor to neurological diseases. Here, we explore the potential mechanisms underlying the abnormal myelin development induced by multiple sevoflurane exposures in neonatal rats by analyzing gut homeostasis. Six-day-old (P6) C57BL/6 mice were exposed to 3% sevoflurane for 2 hours per day for three consecutive days. Mice exposed to a mixture of 60% nitrogen and oxygen under the same conditions and duration served as controls. Behavioral tests were conducted between P32 and P42.At P9 (24 hours after the last sevoflurane exposure) and P42 (after the completion of behavioral tests),