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NCT Number: NCT07372417

Macrophage/Monocyte Driven Inflammation and Anesthetic Sensitivity in Aging

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Aging Anesthesia Brain Monitor Anesthesia Depth Monitoring Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability Inflammaging Inflammation Inflammation Biomarkers Monocyte Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile

Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile

Location contact

Catalina Andrea Díaz Papapietro, Anesthesiologist, PhD(c)

CONTACT

[email protected]

+56229789405

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • 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.

Exclusion criteria

  • 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.

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. Frontal EEG alpha-band power

    Time frame: Perioperative

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

Secondary outcomes

  1. Time-to-loss of consciousness

    Time frame: Perioperative

    During propofol slow induction, the time required for unresponsiveness to verbal stimuli

  2. Intraoperative anesthetic requirements

    Time frame: Perioperative

    Total dose and infusion rate of propofol and/or sevoflurane adjusted using frontal EEG monitoring

  3. Time to emergence

    Time frame: Perioperative

    Time in minutes to eye opening since end of anesthesia, with verbal stimuli.

  4. Cytokine circulating profile

    Time frame: Baseline

    Serum inflammatory cytokine profile

  5. Monocyte/Macrophage phenotype in blood and peritoneal samples

    Time frame: Periprocedural

    inflammatory cell Pheontype present in circulating blood (monocytes) and in peritoneal lavage and tissue samples.

  6. Blood-brain barrier permeability

    Time frame: Baseline

    CSF biomarkers present: albumin, cytokines.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

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

CONTACT

[email protected]

+56229789405

Rodrigo Gutiérrez Rojas, Assitant Professor, MD PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+56229789405

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Chile

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Role of Macrophage/Monocyte Mediated Inflammatory Response in Diminished Anesthetic Requirements During Aging

Acronym: MACRO-AGE

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jan 28, 2026
Registry last updated
Jan 28, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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