NADPH oxidase 2-derived reactive oxygen species in the hippocampus might contribute to microglial activation in postoperative cognitive dysfunction in aged mice

•Anesthesia and surgery induced hippocampus-dependent memory impairments in aged mice.•Anesthesia and surgery induced microglial activation and subsequent neuroinflammation and down-regulation of BDNF expression.•Surgery-induced microglial activation was associated with Nox2 activation.

Microglial activation plays a key role in the development of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD). Nox2, one of the main isoforms of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase in the central nervous system, is a predominant source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction in phagocytes including microglia. We therefore hypothesized that Nox2-induced microglial activation is involved in the development of POCD. Sixteen-month-old C57BL/6 mice were subjected to exploratory laparotomy with isoflurane anesthesia to mimic the clinical human abdominal surgery. Behavioral tests were performed at 6 and 7 d post-surgery with open field and fear conditioning tests, respectively. The levels of Nox2, 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG, a marker of DNA oxidation), CD11b (a marker of microglial activation), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were determined in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex at 1 d and 7 d post-surgery, respectively. For the interventional study, mice were treated with a NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin (APO). Our results showed that exploratory laparotomy with isoflurane anesthesia impaired the contextual fear memory, increased expression of Nox2, 8-OH-dG, CD11b, and IL-1β, and down-regulated BDNF expression in the hippocampus at 7 d post-surgery. The surgery-induced microglial activation and neuroinflammation persisted to 7 d after surgery in the hippocampus, but only at 1 d in the prefrontal cortex. Notably, administration with APO could rescue these surgery-induced cognitive impairments and associated brain pathology. Together, our data suggested that Nox2-derived ROS in hippocampal microglia, at least in part, contributes to subsequent neuroinflammation and cognitive impairments induced by surgery in aged mice.