ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the effect of hyperbaric oxygen combined with RNA interference (RNAi) technology targeting aquaporin-4 (AQP-4) on improving cognitive function in rats with traumatic brain injury (TBI), and to explore its mechanism.Methods:Totally 112 adult male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: control group, hyperbaric oxygen(HBO) group, AQP-4 RNAi group and combined treatment group, with 28 rats in each group.The TBI model of rat was established by hydraulic percussion and siRNA targeting aquaporin 4 was constructed. Rats were given corresponding intervention according to their groups.Then the modified neurological severity scores(mNSS)was evaluated on the 7th day and 21th day after operation. Morris water maze test was carried out from the 21st day to 25th day after operation and the percentage of target quadrant and daily escape latency were recorded.The changes of the brain permeability of blood-brain barrier and moisture in brain tissues were measured by Evans blue fluorometry and a wet-dry-weighing technique respectively. The protein expression levels of AQP-4, Caspase-3, Bcl-2, MMP-2 and MMP-9 were detected by Western blot method. The mRNA expression of AQP-4 in TBI brain tissue was measured by RT-PCR method, and the apoptosis rate of TBI brain cells was detected by TUNEL and AnnexinV methods on the 7th day after operation. SPSS 23.0 and Graphpad Prism 7.0 softwares were used for data analysis.One-way ANOVA was used for inter group comparison.Repeated measurement ANOVA was used for Morris results, and the LSD- t test was used for pairwise comparisons. Results:The results of mNSS showed that there were significant differences among the groups on the 7th day and 21st day after operation ( F=4.89, 7.59, both P<0.05). The scores of each treatment group were lower than that of the control group, and the effect of the combined treatment group was the best (7th day: t=3.98, -7.75, both P<0.05; 21st day: t=47.82, 7.94, both P<0.05). The results of Morris water maze test showed that the time and group interaction of rats in the target quadrant residence time and escape latency were not statistically significant( F=1.83, 8.42, both P>0.05). The escape latency and the percentage of stay in the target quadrant in the combined treatment group were better than those in other groups on the 24th and 25th day after operation (all P<0.05). Evans blue staining showed that the contents of Evans blue in AQP-4 RNAi group, hyperbaric oxygen group and combined treatment group were lower than that in the control group(all P<0.05), and that in the combined treatment group was the lowest( t=6.19, P<0.05). The results of dry-wet specific gravity method showed that the water content of brain tissue in the combined treatment group((68.15±1.52)%) was the lowest, and that in the AQP-4 RNAi group((76.71±1.06)%) was lower than that in the HBO group ((80.23±1.43)%)( t=4.38, P<0.05). The results of Western blot showed that the protein levels of AQP-4, Caspase-3, MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the combined treatment group were significantly lower than those in other groups(all P<0.05), while the expression of Bcl-2 was increased in the combined treatment group( P<0.05). RT-PCR results (gray value ratio) showed that AQP-4 mRNA levels in AQP-4 RNAi group(0.61±0.21), HBO group (0.83±0.12), combined treatment group(0.22±0.05) and CON group (1.31 ± 0.25) were significantly different( F=175.05, P<0.05), while the AQP-4 mRNA levels decreased in AQP-4 RNAi group which was better than that in hyperbaric oxygen group ( t=5.25, P<0.05). The decrease was the most obvious in the combined treatment group ( t=58.94, P<0.05). The results of TUNEL and AnnexinV showed that the treatment groups were more effective than the control group in inhibiting neuronal apoptosis, especially in the combined treatment group ( P<0.01). Conclusion:The combination of targeted AQP-4 RNAi and hyperbaric oxgen can effectively promote the recovery of neurological and cognitive function, and the mechanism may be related to protecting the integrity of blood-brain barrier, alleviating brain edema and inhibiting apoptosis of nerve cells after TBI.
ABSTRACT
ObjectiveFrom the changes of expression of cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP) in rats with traumatic brain injury under mild hypothermia treatment with Shenfu decoction as a subsidiary, to speculate the mechanism of protective effect of the decoction on the injury.Methods Ninety Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into three groups by random number table: non-transfection control group, adenovirus mediated immune flourescent reverse transcription virus group (blank AD5-GFP transfection group) and adenovirus mediated immune flourescent reverse transcription virus carrying CIRP silent expression gene group (AD5-GFP-CIRP-SiRNA transfection group), 30 rats in each groups. Then, each group was subdivided into three subgroups: model group, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) low and high dose groups, 10 rats in each subgroup. After the mild hypothermia treatment for 48 hours, in the TCM low dose group and high dose group, a dose of TCM 1 mL/kg and 5 mL/kg was injected via a tail vein into the rat respectively, while in the model group, 1 mL/kg normal saline was injected into the same vein, once a day for consecutive 2 days in all the groups. Before modeling in the blank AD5-GFP transfection group and AD5-GFP-CIRP-SiRNA transfection group, virus transfection models were reproduced at first by one-time intrathecal injection of 0.1 mL AD5-GFP and 0.1 mL (1×1010 pfu/mL) AD5-GFP-CIRP-SiRNA virus vector respectively, and in model group, 0.1 mL normal saline was given. The rat cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus part were collected, the brain cell apoptosis was detected by transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL), the CIRP mRNA expression in the cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus part was measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the protein expressions of rat sarcoma protein Raf, Ras, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), phosphorylation ERK (p-ERK), mitogen activated protein kinase (MEK), p-MEK were determined by Western Blot.Results The brain tissue cell apoptosis indexes (AI) in the cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus part in TCM low, high dose group of non-transfection control and blank AD5-GFP transfection group were lower than those in model group, and the expressions of CIRP mRNA were higher than those in model group, there were no significant differences in AI and CIRP mRNA in the cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus between model, TCM low and high dose groups of AD5-GFP-CIRP-SiRNA transfection group, but AI was significantly higher and CIRP mRNA was significantly lower than that in corresponding subgroups of AD5-GFP transfection control group and blank AD5-GFP transfection group. Western Blot detection showed that: Raf/Ras, p-MEK/MEK protein expressions revealed no statistical significant differences in different parts of each group (allP > 0.05), the p-ERK/ERK protein expression in the cortex, hippocampus, and hypothalamus part was significantly lower in TCM low and high dose group than that in the model group of non-transfection control group and blank AD5-GFP transfection group, the degree of descent in the TCM high dose group being more significant (the cortex: non-transfection control group was 7.2±1.0 vs. 15.3±1.8, AD5-GFP transfection group was 8.1±0.7 vs. 16.2±1.5; hippocampus part: non-transfection control group was 6.6±0.8 vs. 14.7±2.0, AD5-GFP transfection group was 6.8±1.0 vs. 14.9±1.3; hypothalamus part: non-transfection control group was 9.4±1.1 vs. 12.7±1.7, AD5-GFP transfection group was 10.6±1.3 vs. 9.4±1.1, allP 0.05).Conclusions The Shenfu decoction used in rats with brain trauma under treatment of mild hypothermia is possibly by promoting CIRP over-expression, lowering ERK expression and inhibiting the initiation of signal transduction of the secondary transcription factor phosphorylation, thereby the neural cell apoptosis is decreased and play a subsidiary role of anti-apoptosis of mild hypothermia.
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@#Objective To investigate the curative effect of neural stem cells (NSCs) transplantation on sequela after traumatic intracranial hematoma. Methods 20 patients with sequela after traumatic intracranial hematoma were treated with NSCs transplantation. Cells were engrafted into subarachnoid cavity via lumbar puncture. They were assessed with Functional Independence Measure (FIM) before and half a year after the transplantation. Results The FIM scores were significantly increased after the transplantation (P<0.01).Conclusion NSCs transplantation could promote functional recovery and improve the living quality of patients with sequela after traumatic intracranial hematoma in the aspects of self-care, sphincter control, mobility, locomotion, communication and social adjustment/cooperation.