Effect of preconditioning with hyperbaric oxygen on neural cell apoptosis after spinal cord injury in rats.

AIM

The aim of this study was to study the effect of preconditioning with hyperbaric oxygen on neural cell apoptosis after spinal cord injury in rats at different times, and to study the mechanism of neuroprotection with hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning after spinal cord injury.

METHODS

Fifty-five adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, a hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning group (Hoping, N.=25), a normal injury group (NI, N.=25) and a control group (CON, N.=5). The acute spinal cord injury rat models were established using Allen's method, the spinal cord injury selections were obtained separately after injury day 1, 5, 7, 10 and 14, the neural cell apoptosis after the spinal cord injury in the rat was detected by the HE staining and TUNEL method.

RESULTS

The TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells were found in both the hyperbaric oxygen preconditional group and in the normal injury group. However, There was a statistically significant difference between each group (P<0.05). In the hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning group, the number of apoptotic cells decreased, while the neurofunction of the spinal cord was improved compared with the other two groups.

CONCLUSION

HBO preconditioning can reduce the number of apoptotic cells and promote the nerve functional recovery in rats after spinal cord injury, which provide some experimental basis for currently clinical hyperbaric oxygen therapy.