title: Functional recovery in rat spinal cord injury induced by hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is a common belief that neurosurgical interventions can cause inevitable damage resulting from the procedure itself in surgery especially for intramedullary spinal cord tumors. The present study was designed to examine if hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning (HBO-PC)  was neuroprotective against surgical injuries using a rat model of spinal cord injury (SCI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: HBO-PC group, hypobaric hypoxic preconditioning (HH-PC) control group, and normobaric control group. All groups  were subjected to SCI by weight drop device. Rats from each group were examined for neurological behavior and electrophysiological function. Tissue sections were analyzed by using immunohistochemistry, TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling, and axonal tract tracing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant neurological deficits were observed after SCI and HBO-PC and HH-PC improved neurological deficits 1 week post-injury. The latencies of motor-evoked potential and somatosensory-evoked potential were significantly delayed after SCI, which was attenuated by HBO-PC and HH-PC. Compared  with normobaric control group, pretreatment with HBO and hypobaric hypoxia significantly reduced the number of TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling-positive cells, and increased nestin-positive cells. HBO-PC and HH-PC enhanced axonal growth after SCI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion,  preconditioning with HBO and hypobaric hypoxia can facilitate functional recovery and suppress cell apoptosis after SCI and may prove to be a useful preventive strategy to neurosurgical SCI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Pei-Gang
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Sheng-Li
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Jiang-Kai
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000502:physiology; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation / Q000379:methods*; D019194:Ischemic Preconditioning / Q000379:methods*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*