Exploring the Neuroprotective Effects of Spirulina platensis: Insights Into Hemorrhagic Volume and Histological Outcomes.

Background Hemorrhagic events can result in significant neurological damage, and identifying effective strategies for neuroprotection is crucial. Several studies have directed their attention to the alterations in perilesional parenchymal tissue. These investigations have sought to modify ischemic and metabolic changes by utilizing potential neuroprotective agents and to develop strategies that effectively mitigate secondary perilesional neuronal damage. By gaining a deeper understanding of its mechanisms and efficacy, Spirulina platensis can emerge as a promising therapeutic intervention for various neurological disorders. Methodology This controlled and blinded experimental study was conducted on adult male Wistar rats. The rats were divided into the treatment group, which received Spirulina platensis extract for 30 days before the hemorrhagic event, and the control group, where all animals underwent the same experimental hemorrhage model using collagenase. Each group was divided into the following three subgroups based on the sacrifice time: six hours, 24 hours, and 30 days. The brain section with the largest hemorrhage volume was selected for histological analysis. The number of viable neurons was analyzed in the perilesional zone and the cortical fields along the puncture trajectory. Neurofunctional evaluations were conducted on animals sacrificed 15 and 30 days after the procedure. Results Initial analysis showed no significant difference in viable neurons between groups (p = 0.63). Still, after 24 hours, the treatment group had a significantly higher number of viable neurons per peripheral fields (18.5) compared to the control group (13.4; p < 0.05). Neurofunctional tests at 15 days indicated a trend toward significance in absolute discrimination (p = 0.054), with the control group showing higher mean values (5.5, SD = 3.1) than the treatment group (-1, SD = 5.1). The discrimination index exhibited a significant difference (p < 0.01), with higher mean values in the control group (0.59, SD = 0.34) compared to the treatment group (-0.05, SD = 0.21). No significant differences were found in other neurofunctional parameters at this time point. At 30 days, no significant differences were observed in absolute discrimination, discrimination index, contralateral paw elevation, rearing time, and wire hanging time test (p > 0.1); however, the treatment group presented a better motor performance in the open field test (14.2, SD = 9.02) compared to the control group (5.25, SD = 2.06), approaching significance (p = 0.06). Conclusions The group treated with Spirulina platensis demonstrated significantly more viable neurons in the perilesional fields 24 hours after the induced hemorrhage. The treatment group also had a relatively better motor performance in the open field test 30 days after the hemorrhage (p = 0.06). These findings suggest a potential neuroprotection effect and warrant further investigations to explore the effects of Spirulina platensis and its active component phycocyanin in acute neurological conditions.

Epidemiology of hydrocephalus in Brazil

Abstract Objective Describe the epidemiological profile and social-economic burden that hydrocephalus patients represent to the national public health system, using data available at the online database of the Brazilian Health Ministry (DataSUS). Methods This is a populational study based on descriptive statistics of all clinical and surgical appointments included in the DataSUS database. Data included herein were collected between 2015 and 2021 and subdivided into three main groups, related to hydrocephalus incidence and mortality, hospitalizations, and financial costs. Results In the study period, 3993 new cases of congenital hydrocephalus were diagnosed, with 6051 deaths overall. The mortality rate in the country was 1.5/100000 live births and the prevalence was 0.374/100000 inhabitants. The number of hospitalizations resulting from treatment procedures and complications of hydrocephalus was 137,880 and there was a reduction of up to 27.2% during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemics concerning previous years. Total costs for hydrocephalus management in the country amounted to 140,610,585.51 dollars. Conclusions Hydrocephalus has a significant impact on public health budgets and pediatric mortality rates; however, it is probably underestimated, due to the paucity of demographic data and epidemiological studies in Latin America and, specifically, in Brazil. The dataSUS also has several limitations in accessing certain data related to hydrocephalus, making it difficult to have a more assertive understanding of the disease in Brazil. The results of this study provide important guidance for future research projects in clinical and experimental hydrocephalus and also the creation of public policies for better governance and care of hydrocephalus patients.

Epidemiology of hydrocephalus in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: Describe the epidemiological profile and social-economic burden that hydrocephalus patients represent to the national public health system, using data available at the online database of the Brazilian Health Ministry (DataSUS). METHODS: This is a populational study based on descriptive statistics of all clinical and surgical appointments included in the DataSUS database. Data included herein were collected between 2015 and 2021 and subdivided into three main groups, related to hydrocephalus incidence and mortality, hospitalizations, and financial costs. RESULTS: In the study period, 3993 new cases of congenital hydrocephalus were diagnosed, with 6051 deaths overall. The mortality rate in the country was 1.5/100000 live births and the prevalence was 0.374/100000 inhabitants. The number of hospitalizations resulting from treatment procedures and complications of hydrocephalus was 137,880 and there was a reduction of up to 27.2% during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemics concerning previous years. Total costs for hydrocephalus management in the country amounted to 140,610,585.51 dollars. CONCLUSIONS: Hydrocephalus has a significant impact on public health budgets and pediatric mortality rates; however, it is probably underestimated, due to the paucity of demographic data and epidemiological studies in Latin America and, specifically, in Brazil. The dataSUS also has several limitations in accessing certain data related to hydrocephalus, making it difficult to have a more assertive understanding of the disease in Brazil. The results of this study provide important guidance for future research projects in clinical and experimental hydrocephalus and also the creation of public policies for better governance and care of hydrocephalus patients.

Memantine associated with ventricular-subcutaneous shunt promotes behavioral improvement, reduces reactive astrogliosis and cell death in juvenile hydrocephalic rats.

Hydrocephalus is defined as the accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain ventricles. The usual treatment of hydrocephalus is surgical (shunt), but not all patients can undergo treatment immediately after diagnosis. Thus, neuroprotective measures were tested to minimize the tissue damage involved. Memantine is a non-competitive antagonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, which has shown a neuroprotective action in neurodegenerative diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the neuroprotective response of memantine in animals treated with or without a ventricular-subcutaneous shunt. Seven-day-old male Wistar rats induced by intracisternal injection of kaolin were used, divided into five groups: intact control (n = 10), hydrocephalic (n = 10), hydrocephalic treated with memantine (20 mg/kg/day) (n = 10), hydrocephalic treated with shunt (n = 10), hydrocephalic treated with shunt and memantine (20 mg/kg/day) (n = 10). Memantine administration was started on the day after hydrocephalus induction and continued until the last day of the experimental period, totaling 21 consecutive days of drug application. The CSF shunt surgery was performed seven days after hydrocephalus induction. Behavioral tests (open field, and modified Morris water maze), histological, and immunohistochemical evaluations were performed. Treatment with memantine resulted in significant improvement (p < 0.05) in sensorimotor development, preservation of spatial memory, reduction of astrocytic reaction in the corpus callosum, cortex, and germinal matrix. When associated with the shunt, it has also been shown to reduce the cell death cascade. It is concluded that memantine is a promising adjuvant drug with beneficial potential for the treatment of lesions secondary to hydrocephalus.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Associated with Ventricular-Subcutaneous Shunt Promotes Neuroprotection in Young Hydrocephalic Rats.

Hydrocephalus is characterized by the accumulation of CSF within the cerebral ventricles and the subarachnoid space. Ventricular volume can progressively increase and generate serious damage to the nervous system, with cerebral hypoxia/ischemia as one of the most important factors involved. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) improves oxygen supply to tissues, which can reduce the progression of lesions secondary to ventricular enlargement. We evaluated whether HBOT associated with CSF diversion can promote neuroprotective effects to structures damaged by ventriculomegaly and understand its role. Seven-day-old male Wistar Hannover rats submitted to hydrocephalus by intracisternal injection of 15% kaolin were used. The animals were divided into six groups, with ten animals in each: control, control associated with hyperbaric therapy, hydrocephalic without treatment, hydrocephalic treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, hydrocephalic treated with CSF deviation, and hydrocephalic treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy associated with CSF deviation. To assess the response to treatment, behavioral tests were performed such as modified Morris water maze and object recognition, evaluation by transcranial ultrasonography, histology by Hematoxylin-Eosin and Luxol Fast Blue, immunohistochemistry for GFAP, Ki-67, Caspase-3, COX-2, NeuN and SOD1, and biochemical ELISA assay for GFAP and MBP. The results show that the association of treatments exerts neuroprotective effects such as neurobehavioral improvement, preservation of periventricular structures, antioxidant effect, and reduction of damage resulting from ischemia and the neuroinflammatory process. We conclude that HBOT has the potential to be used as an adjuvant treatment to CSF deviation surgery in experimental hydrocephalus.

The association of Edaravone with shunt surgery improves behavioral performance, reduces astrocyte reaction and apoptosis, and promotes neuroprotection in young hydrocephalic rats.

The neuroprotective effect of Edaravone in young hydrocephalic rats associated with a CSF derivation system was evaluated. The drug has already been shown to be beneficial in experimental hydrocephalus, but the combination of this drug with shunt surgery has not yet been investigated. Fifty-seven-day-old Wistar rats submitted to hydrocephalus by injection of kaolin in the cisterna magna were used and divided into five groups: control (n = 10), hydrocephalic (n = 10), hydrocephalic treated with Edaravone (20 mg/kg/day) (n = 10), hydrocephalic treated with shunt (n = 10) and hydrocephalic treated with shunt and Edaravone (n = 10). Administration of the Edaravone was started 24 h after hydrocephalus induction (P1) and continued until the experimental endpoint (P21). The CSF shunt surgery was performed seven days after hydrocephalus induction (P7). Open-field tests, histological evaluation by hematoxylin and eosin, immunohistochemistry by Caspase-3 and GFAP, and ELISA biochemistry by GFAP were performed. Edaravone reduced reactive astrogliosis in the corpus callosum and germinal matrix (p < 0.05). When used alone or associated with CSF shunt surgery, the drug decreased the cell death process (p < 0.0001) and improved the morphological aspect of the astroglia (p < 0.05). The results showed that Edaravone associated with CSF bypass surgery promotes neuroprotection in young hydrocephalic rats by reducing reactive astrogliosis and decreasing cell death.

Transcranial ultrasonography as a reliable instrument for the measurement of the cerebral ventricles in rats with experimental hydrocephalus: a pilot study.

PURPOSES: Demonstrate that transcranial ultrasonography (TUS) scanning is viable and useful as a diagnostic method in experimental hydrocephalus, as well as to compare measurements of cerebral and ventricular width obtained from TUS scans of hydrocephalic rats with post-mortem anatomical specimens, aiming for the development of accurate criteria to establish ventricular enlargement and progression of hydrocephalus subsequently. METHODS: Thirty-five male Wistar rats were used. Following hydrocephalus induction, they underwent a transcranial ultrasound scan to measure cerebral and ventricular dimensions, in the fourth and 21 post-induction days. By the end of the experiments, measurements obtained from TUS scans were compared with actual values as seen in the post-mortem specimens of each animal. RESULTS: Ventricular dilation could be clearly visualized in hydrocephalic animals. We performed intraclass correlation coefficient and linear regression analyses that have demonstrated a precise correlation between measurements of TUS scans and post-mortem specimens; we have found a similarity of 0,95 for the cerebral diameter and 0,97 for ventricular width. CONCLUSIONS: Transcranial ultrasonography is a useful and reliable diagnostic tool for experimental hydrocephalus; also, it can be used to assess the progression of ventriculomegaly in animal models of hydrocephalus.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduces astrogliosis and helps to recovery brain damage in hydrocephalic young rats.

PURPOSE: We investigated the possible beneficial effects that hyperbaric oxygen therapy could offer in different brain structures affected by ventriculomegaly in pup rats submitted to experimental hydrocephalus. METHODS: Seven-day-old Wistar rats were submitted to hydrocephalus by intracisternal injection of 10% kaolin into the cisterna magna. The animals were divided into four groups: control (n = 5); control with HBOT (3ATA/2 h/day) (n = 5); untreated hydrocephalic (n = 10); hydrocephalic treated with HBOT (3ATA/2 h/day) (n = 10). The treatment with HBOT was performed daily for 14 days post-induction of hydrocephalus. To evaluate the response to treatment, behavioral tests (open field, Morris water maze, and activity monitor) were performed. After 14 days, the animals were euthanized, and the brain was removed for histological (hematoxylin-eosin and solochrome-cyanine) and immunohistochemical (GFAP and Ki-67) studies. RESULTS: The hyperbaric treatment, although not causing changes in ventricular enlargement, resulted in a significant improvement in the behavioral performance (p = 0.0001), with greater agility and exploration of the environment, preservation of spatial memory, and greater learning capacity (p = 0.0001). Through the immunohistochemical study, the astrocytic activity (glial fibrillary acidic protein) in the corpus callosum (p = 0.0001) and in the germinative matrix (p = 0.0033) was significantly reduced as compared to that in the H group. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that hyperbaric treatment bettered the behavioral performance and offered benefits to the structures affected by the ventricular increase helping to recover the brain damages. In this way, the HBOT it can be considered an adjuvant therapy for the treatment of hydrocephalus.