Propofol anesthesia results in loss of splenic architecture and reduced numbers of immune effector cell populations at sites of infection.

<p>(a). Spleens of anesthetized, infected animals were reduced in size and exhibited signs of necrosis at 72 hours post-infection. (b) Total splenocyte counts were lower in propofol-treated animals compared with infected controls. (c). Analysis of cell populations in the spleens of <i>Lm</i> infected animals ± propofol. Swiss Webster mice were left uninfected or infected i.v. with 2 x 10⁴ CFU of <i>Lm</i> in the presence or absence of propofol and spleens were processed for FACS. At 72 hours post-infection, anesthetized animals had proportionally fewer F4/80⁺CD80⁺MHC-II⁺ mononuclear phagocytes than infected controls. (d). At 24 hours post-infection, no significant differences in the proportional numbers of inflammatory monocytes (CCR2+Ly-6C^hi) or F4/80⁺CD80⁺MHC-II⁺ mononuclear phagocytes were observed in the spleens of infected animals, regardless of exposure to propofol (left panel). However, at 72 hours post-infection, propofol-treated mice displayed proportionally fewer F4/80⁺CD80⁺MHC-II⁺ mononuclear phagocytes in the spleens compared with infected control animals. No significant changes in the proportion of neutrophils were observed (right panel). *p<0.05, ***p<0.001.