Effect of hyperbaric oxygen on cerebral edema and malondialdehyde after brain injury in rats

Qiang WANG; Xiangyu WANG; Xiangju ZHANG; Shigang ZHENG; Linlin TAN

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

The cerebral edema after brain injury is associated with the generation of oxygen-derived free radicals after ischemia reperfusion.Hyperbaric oxygen can relieve the cerebral edema and ameliorate the tissue hypoxia.

OBJECTIVE:

To observe the influence of hyperbaric oxygen on cerebral edema and the lipid peroxide after brain injury in rats.

DESIGN:

A random controlled trial.

SETTING:

Institute of Field Surgery, Daping Hospital of the Third Military Medical University of Chinese PLA.MATERIALS The experiment was carried out in the Department of Hyperbaric Oxygen and the Fourth Room of the Institute of Field Surgery,Daping Hospital of the Third Military Medical University of Chinese PLA between March and June 2004. Fifty-eight 3-month-old Wistar rats of clean degree with the body mass of (256±23) g were used.

METHODS:

The 58 rats were randomly divided into control group (n=17),brain injury group (n=22) and hyperbaric oxygen group (n=19). The struck test was not conducted in the control group. The rats in the brain injury group and hyperbaric oxygen group were anesthetized, then the right calveria was struck with the BIM-Ⅲ striker, and closed brain injury was duplicated. After brain injury, rats in the hyperbaric oxygen group were placed into a hyperbaric oxygen chamber of 2 absolute atmospheric pressures for 2 hours, and the rats were killed at 24 hours after injury by taking blood from heart.MAIN OUTCOME

MEASURES:

The water content of brain tissue, content of Evans blue, and the contents of the lipid peroxide malondialdehyde (MDA) in brain and plasma after brain injury were observed.

RESULTS:

Totally 41 rats were injured, and 7 died after 24 hours, including 2 in the hyperbaric oxygen group and 5 in the brain injury group, and brain tissue The water content of right brain in the brain injury group was obviously higher than that in the hyperbaric oxygen group and control group [(79.06±0.52)%, (78.38±0.37), (78.21±0.25)%, t=3.022-3.285, P ＜ 0.01]. In the brain injury group, the water content of right brain was obviously higher than that of left brain [(79.06±0.52), (78.57±0.14)%, t=2.651, P ＜ 0.05].injury group was obviously higher than that in the hyperbaric oxygen group and control group [(197.28±31.49), (167.65±25.88), (145.07±30.45) nmol/g,t=2.231-3.347, P ＜ 0.01-0.05]. In the brain injury group, the MDA content of right brain was obviously higher than that of left brain [(197.28of MDA It was markedly higher in the brain injury group than in the control group [(2.69±0.54), (1.94±0.40) μmol/L, t=2.473, P ＜ 0.05].

CONCLUSION:

The hyperbaric oxygen therapy after brain injury can obviously decrease the water content and MDA content in brain tissue of the injured side, and such is the case with the MDA content in plasma,which is indicated that hyperbaric oxygen has a therapeutic effect on brain injury.