Can different fatty acid contents in propofol formulations change bacterial growth?

This study aimed to investigate how Propofol-Lipuro changed the quantity of bacterial growth compared with propofol after changing the lipid content of Propofol-Lipuro. Seven microorganisms (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Serratia marcescens), representing different groups that cause hospital-acquired infections and have been already investigated in previous studies, were selected. Each microorganism used in the study was incubated in 5% sheep blood agar at 36°C, and reproduction was enabled after 24 h. Three different groups were generated from each microorganism by inoculating the microorganism suspension with10-mL physiological serum (PS), propofol (P), and Propofol-Lipuro (PL). The quantitative growth levels were evaluated by repeated procedures at 36°C after 4, 8, 24, and 48 h. Although a statistically significant difference in terms of quantity of bacterial growth was detected in both propofol formulations (group P and group PL) compared with the control group (PS), no statistically significant difference was detected between the P and PL groups. No difference was detected in terms of bacterial growth in different lipid contents. In conclusion, this study suggested the use of aseptic methods and administration in accordance with the updated recommendations in the literature while using propofol formulations.