Macrophage/Monocyte Driven Inflammation and Anesthetic Sensitivity in Aging

NCT07372417 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: OAIC N°1538/25
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this observational study is to determine whether macrophage/monocyte mediated inflammatory signaling contributes to reduced anesthetic requirements in older adults undergoing major abdominal surgery. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Is there a difference in anesthetic dosing requirements (minimum effective dose) between young and older patients undergoing major abdominal surgery?
• How do electroencephalographic (EEG) signatures under anesthesia correlate with age and systemic inflammatory markers?
• Is there an association between age, levels of circulating inflammatory cytokines, and monocyte/macrophage phenotypes with anesthetic requirements? If there is a comparison group: Researchers will compare older adult patients undergoing major abdominal surgery to younger adult patients undergoing major abdominal surgery to see if macrophage/monocyte-mediated inflammatory signaling influences anesthetic sensitivity and the risk of postoperative neurocognitive complications in the older population. Participants will:
• Receive general anesthesia for major abdominal surgery, with continuous recording of anesthetic dose requirements.
• Undergo electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring during the anesthetic period.
• Provide blood samples for the measurement of circulating inflammatory cytokines and the assessment of monocyte phenotypes.
• Provide peritoneal tissue samples (collected during surgery) to evaluate tissue macrophage populations.
• Provide cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples to assess biomarkers of blood-brain barrier permeability.

Conditions

Aging; Inflammation; Anesthesia Brain Monitor; Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability; Anesthesia Depth Monitoring; Inflammation Biomarkers; Inflammaging; Monocyte

Keywords

Aging; Inflammation; General Anesthesia; Anesthetic Sensitivity; Cytokines; Alpha Oscillations; Blood Brain Barrier; Monocyte phenotype; macrophage phenotype

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Frontal EEG alpha-band power

  Relative EEG alpha power during surgery under general anesthesia guided by standard age-adjusted dosing

  Perioperative

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Time-to-loss of consciousness

  Perioperative

• Intraoperative anesthetic requirements

  Perioperative

• Time to emergence

  Perioperative

• Cytokine circulating profile

  Baseline

• Monocyte/Macrophage phenotype in blood and peritoneal samples

  Periprocedural

Study Arms (2)

Older adults

Men and women requiring abdominal surgery aged 60 years or older.

Young Adults

Men and women requiring abdominal surgery, aged 30 years or younger.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult patients from Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile, in Santiago de Chile, that require elective abdominal surgery and are willing to participate in the study, meeting inclusion criteria and signing the informed consent.

You may qualify if:

• Age between 18-30 years or over 60 years old
• Scheduled for abdominal surgery
• General anesthesia planned with or without spinal anesthesia
• Able and willing to provide written informed consent.

You may not qualify if:

• Chemotherapy or systemic corticosteroid use within the past 2 weeks.
• Pregnancy.
• Active sepsis or systemic infection.
• Emergency surgery.
• Requirement of ketamine or dexmedetomidine during the first hour of anesthesia.
• History or diagnosis of: stroke with persistent neurological deficit, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, central nervous system autoimmune disorders, systemic autoimmune diseases, or infectious diseases of the central nervous system.
• Current treatment with immunomodulatory medications.
• Psychiatric disorders with psychotic features.
• Use of psychoactive or psychotropic recreational drugs within the week prior to surgery.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Chile: lead

Study Sites (1)

Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile

Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

Location

Biospecimen

Retention: SAMPLES WITHOUT DNA

Blood samples LCR samples if available Peritoneal lavage/biopsy if available

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Inflammation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Antonello Penna Silva, Anesthesia Professor, MD PhD

  Brain and Anesthesia Laboratory (BAL), University of Chile

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Catalina Andrea Díaz Papapietro, Anesthesiologist, MD PhD (c)

CONTACT

+56229789405; catalinadiaz@ug.uchile.cl

Rodrigo Gutiérrez Rojas, Assitant Professor, MD PhD

CONTACT

+56229789405; rodrgutierrez@uchile.cl

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Target Duration: 1 Day
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 17, 2025
• First Posted: January 28, 2026
• Study Start: January 25, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 15, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 15, 2027
• Last Updated: January 28, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Locations

CL (1)