Chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve was used to establish neuropathic pain (NP) models in rats. CCI rats were then treated with propofol and their paw withdrawal mechanical threshold (PWMT) and paw withdraw thermal latency (PWTL) were measured. In addition, the expression patterns of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-10 were detected. CCI rats treated with propofol were further injected with antagomiR-140-3p to verify the role of miR-140-3p in propofol's analgesic actions. In addition to confirming the relationship between miR-140-3p and JAG1, the expression patterns of JAG1 itself were detected. Propofol-treated CCI rats were also injected with Ad-JAG1 to test the role of JAG1 in propofol's analgesic mechanism of action. Finally, the levels of JAG1 and Notch pathway-related proteins were detected.Results: Propofol was found to alleviate NP, including thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical pain threshold. Propofol could also ameliorate neuroinflammation by up-regulating the expression of IL-10 and inhibiting the release of TNF-α and IL-1β. Mechanically, propofol enhanced the amount of miR-140-3p in CCI rats via regulation of JAG1. Down-regulation of miR-140-3p, or up-regulation of JAG1, could reduce the protective effect of propofol against NP. Propofol inhibited the activation of Notch signaling via miR-140-3p/JAG1 to realize its analgesic effect. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that propofol inhibits inflammatory responses and the Notch signaling pathway via miR-140-3p/JAG1 to alleviate NP. These data provide evidence to support a potential clinical therapy for NP.

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