title: [Therapeutic efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen on traumatic brain injury in the rat and the underlying mechanisms].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment on the activation of astrocytes and the expression of glia-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in the brain after traumatic brain injury (TBI).
  
  
  METHODS
  54 male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 18): sham-operated, TBI and HBO treatment groups. TBI was induced with Feeney's method, bone window was opened without strike on the brain tissue in the sham-operated group. HBO group rats received HBO treatment for 60 min in the hyperbaric chamber containing O2 100% at 3 ATA. When neurological functions were measured 48 h after TBI, rats were decapitated, the brain water content of 18 rats was measured, 18 brains were sliced for the morphological observation after Nissl staining and for the immunohistochemistry staining of astrocyte markers glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin and S100, and the other 18 brains of injured side were used for Western blot analysis of GDNF and NGF.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HBO treatment reduced the neurological deficit, brain water content and hippocampal neuronal loss. In the observed cortex and hippocampal area astrocytes were activated, the cell number of positive expression of astrocyte markers GFAP, vimentin and S100 was increased, and the expression of GDNF and NGF was elevated after TBI. However, these indices were all enhanced further after the HBO treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is suggested that HBO may be an effective therapy for TBI and upregulation of the expression of GDNF and NGF may underly the effect of HBO.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nautical Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, China.
authors.forename: Xiang-Gen
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zheng-Lin
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Guo-Hua
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yong-Cai
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hong-Mei
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014746:Vimentin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C495041:Gdnf protein, rat; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009418:S100 Proteins; D014746:Vimentin