Propofol Effects in Breast Cancer Cell Progression: Evidences from In Vitro Studies

Propofol (2,6 diisopropylphenol), belonging to the class of intravenous anesthetics, is largely used as a sedative-hypnotic agent in humans, outlined by lower toxicity and fast resumption from anesthesia. This anesthetic possesses multiple properties by which it exerts many biological functions. Particularly, due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory features, many in vitro studies suggested that propofol could have direct inhibitory or promoting effects on cancer cells proliferation, by influencing their activities, especially for breast cancer cells. In this chapter, we summarize and describe these studies trying to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the roles of propofol in breast cancer progression. Data emerged from these research works suggest that this anesthetic has different effects on breast cancer cell proliferation depending mainly on breast cancer heterogeneity.