title: Helium preconditioning protects the brain against hypoxia/ischemia injury via improving the neurovascular niche in a neonatal rat model.
abstract: This study aimed to investigate whether helium preconditioning (He-PC) is able to exert neuroprotective effects via improving focal neurovascular niche in a neonatal rat hypoxia/ischemia (HI) brain injury model. Seven day old rat pups were divided into control group, HI group and He-PC group. HI was induced by exposure to 8% oxygen for 90min one day after preconditioning with 70% helium-30% oxygen for three 5-min periods. At 3 and 7 days, the brain was collected for the detection of inflammation related factors (tumor necrosis factor α [TNF-α], interleukin-1β [IL-1β], IL-10) and growth/neurotrophic factors (brain-derived neurotrophic factor [BDNF], basic fibroblast growth factor [bFGF] and nerve growth factor [NGF]); at 7 days, neurobehaviors were evaluated, and the brain was collected for the detection of mRNA expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) by PCR, protein expression of angiogenesis related molecules (VEGF, Ang-1, Tie-2 and Flt-1) by Western blotting and microvessel density (MCD) by immunohistochemistry for vWF. Results showed He-PC was able to reduce TNF-α and IL-1β, further increase IL-10, BDNF, bFGF and NGF, elevate the mRNA expression of VEGF and Ang-1, increase the protein expression of VEGF, Ang-1, Tie-2 and Flt-1, promote angiogenesis and improve neurobehaviors as compared to HI group. These findings suggest that He-PC may improve the post-stroke neurovascular niche to exert neuroprotective effects on neonatal HI brain injury.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No 1665 Kongjiang Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai 200092, China.
authors: Yi
authors: Y
authors: Li
authors: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The First Hospital of Jining City, No 6, Jiankang Road, Jining City, Shandong 272011, China.
authors: Peixi
authors: P
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Pathology, Yantaishan Hospital, No 91, Jiefang Road, Zhifu District, Yantai City, Shandong 264001, China.
authors: Ying
authors: Y
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: liuwenwu1980@hotmail.com.
authors: Wenwu
authors: W
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine, Xin Hua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China. Electronic address: anne_yin2016@163.com.
authors: Na
authors: N
authors: Yin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D006371:Helium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D019194:Ischemic Preconditioning / Q000379:methods; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D006371:Helium; C579455:BDNF protein, human
keywords: Angiogenesis; Growth factor; Helium preconditioning; Inflammation; Neurobehaviors