Objective  To investigate the effect of propofol on inflammation and synoviocyte apoptosis in rheumatoid arthritis rats.

  Methods  Adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rat model was established and then the AIA rats were administered with propofol at dosages of 2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg. Pathologic changes in joints of the rats were observed using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining; serum concentration of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expressions of 78-kD glucose-regulated protein (GRP78), growth arrest and DNA damage inducible gene 34 (GADD34), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 and inhibitor of NF-κB alpha (IκB α) in the rats′ synoviums were determined with Western blot.

  Results  We observed diminished size of toes, decreased inflammatory cell infiltration and synovial hyperplasia in the synovial tissue, reduced serum concentration of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6, inhibited the expressions of GRP78, GADD34, p-IκBα and NF-κB p65, and promoted expression of CHOP in the AIA rats exposed to propofol.

  Conclusion  Propofol could inhibit the inflammation possibly through regulating endoplasmic reticulum stress in rats with rheumatoid arthritis.