Department of Hyperbaric Oxygen, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, 8 Gong Ti South Road, Chaoyang District Beijing 100020, China.
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shenzhou Hospital, Shenyang Medical College, 20 North nine Road, Heping District Shenyang 110002, China.
Spine J. 2014 Jan;14(1):119-27. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2013.06.084. Epub 2013 Oct 31.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious health issue that may result in high health care costs, with additional social and psychological burdens. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment has been found to be beneficial for neurological recovery; however, the underlying mechanisms are yet to be characterized.
The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms of HBO treatment in SCI by measuring the expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Connexin43 (CX43) in the injured spinal cord tissue.
STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: An experiment animal study of rats undergoing SCI and HBO treatment.
The spinal cord injury model was established in rats, which were randomly divided into the following four groups: (1) the sham-operated group (SH), (2) the sham-operated and hyperbaric oxygen treatment group (SH+HBO), (3) the spinal cord injury group (SCI), and (4) the spinal cord injury and hyperbaric oxygen treatment group (SCI+HBO). For groups of SH+HBO and SCI+HBO, the animals received 1 hour of HBO at 2.0 ATA in 100% O2 twice per day for 3 days and then daily for the following days consecutively after surgery. After operation, neurological assessments were performed, the spinal cord tissue samples were harvested for histopathological evaluation, Western blot and real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis.
The Basso-Bettie-Bresnahan scores were significantly improved in the SCI+HBO group compared with the SCI group on the postoperative 7th and 14th days. The histology scores were significantly decreased by HBO treatment compared with that in the SCI group on the postoperative 3rd, 7th, and 14th days. Western blot analysis and real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that the expression level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the SCI+HBO group was significantly increased compared with the SCI group. The protein expression level of CX43 and its mRNA level in the SCI+HBO group were significantly decreased on the postoperative 3rd and 7th days, whereas its expression was significantly increased by HBO treatment on the postoperative 14th day compared with the SCI group.
HBO treatment improved neurological recovery when applied after SCI. The expression level changes of VEGF and CX43 may contribute to the further understanding on the molecular mechanisms of HBO treatment on SCI.
脊髓损伤（SCI）是一种严重的健康问题，可能导致高昂的医疗费用，并带来额外的社会和心理负担。高压氧（HBO）治疗已被证明对神经恢复有益，但作用机制尚未明确。
本研究旨在通过测量损伤脊髓组织中血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）和连接蛋白 43（CX43）的表达水平，探讨 HBO 治疗 SCI 的机制。
研究设计/设置：这是一项针对接受 SCI 和 HBO 治疗的大鼠的实验动物研究。
在大鼠中建立脊髓损伤模型，随机分为以下四组：（1）假手术组（SH），（2）假手术和高压氧治疗组（SH+HBO），（3）脊髓损伤组（SCI），和（4）脊髓损伤和高压氧治疗组（SCI+HBO）。对于 SH+HBO 和 SCI+HBO 组，动物在手术后每天接受 1 小时 2.0ATA 的 100%O2 高压氧治疗，连续治疗 3 天，然后每天治疗。手术后进行神经学评估，采集脊髓组织样本进行组织病理学评估、Western blot 和实时聚合酶链反应分析。
与 SCI 组相比，SCI+HBO 组在术后第 7 天和第 14 天的 Basso-Bettie-Bresnahan 评分显著提高。与 SCI 组相比，HBO 治疗后第 3 天、第 7 天和第 14 天的组织学评分显著降低。Western blot 分析和实时聚合酶链反应显示，SCI+HBO 组的血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）表达水平明显高于 SCI 组。SCI+HBO 组的 CX43 蛋白表达水平及其 mRNA 水平在术后第 3 天和第 7 天显著降低，而在术后第 14 天 HBO 治疗后显著增加。
SCI 后应用 HBO 治疗可改善神经功能恢复。VEGF 和 CX43 的表达水平变化可能有助于进一步了解 HBO 治疗 SCI 的分子机制。
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