The Effects Of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy On Neuron Apoptosis And Apoptosis-related Genes After Traumatic Brain Injury In Rats

The effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on neuron apoptosis and apoptosis-related genes after traumatic brain injury in RatsObjective To investigate the relationship between the therapeutic effect of hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) on neuron in focal brain contusion and its impact on apoptosis and Caspase-3 and Bcl-2 of apoptosis related genes. Methods A total of 66 adult healthy Wistar rats were randomly divided into hyperbaric oxygen treatment group (HBOT), injury control group and sham-operated group. Application of free-fall method to establish the rat model of moderate traumatic brain injury. Apoptosis of neuron cells was evaluated with TUNEL technique. The cerebral expression of Caspase-3 and Bcl-2 was analyzed with immunohistochemical technique. Results At 24 hours In the traumatic penumbra area the apoptosis rates of neuronal cells for the HBO treatment group were significantly lower than those of the control (P< 0.01). The expression of Caspase-3 in the traumatic penumbra area enhanced quite obviously, following trauma; the expression of Caspase-3 in the control group was obviously better than that of the HBO treatment (P< 0.01). However for expression of bcl-2 in the traumatic penumbra area is enhanced quite obviously. The expression of bcl-2 in the HBO group was obviously better than that of the control groups (P< 0.01). Conclusions HBO is closely correlated with apoptosis and apoptosis related genes after traumatic brain injury, and apoptosis inhibition by HBO might be an important mechanism for the treatment of focal brain contusion after traumatic brain injury.