The mechanism by which hyperbaric oxygen treatment alleviates spinal cord injury: genome-wide transcriptome analysis

Neural Regeneration Research, 2022 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/1673-5374.339498 · Published: December 1, 2022

Spinal Cord Injury Pharmacology Neurology

Simple Explanation

This study investigates how hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment can help with spinal cord injury (SCI). The researchers looked at the genes that are active in the spinal cords of mice after SCI, and how these genes change when the mice receive HBO treatment. By comparing the genes in mice with SCI to those in mice that received HBO after SCI, the study identified key genes and pathways that might be involved in the healing process. This helps scientists understand how HBO could potentially reduce the damage caused by SCI. The research also confirmed that HBO treatment affects the levels of certain genes, such as Hspb1, Hmox1, Ftl1, Tnc, Igfbp3, and Slc5a7, which are related to stress and cell death. These findings suggest that HBO might work by influencing these specific genes.

Study Duration

7 weeks

Participants

72 C57BL/6J female mice

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
HBO treatment significantly alleviated pathological changes of damaged spinal cord and improved motor function of mice after SCI.
2
Genome-wide transcriptional profiling identified 76 differentially co-expressed genes in sham-operated mice, SCI mice, and HBO-treated SCI mice.
3
HBO treatment decreased the expression of Hspb1, Hmox1, Ftl1, Tnc and Igfbp3 and increased the expression of Slc5a7 after SCI.

Research Summary

The study aimed to elucidate the underlying mechanism by which HBO alleviates SCI through genome-wide transcriptional profiling. The findings revealed the genome-wide transcriptional profile of the injured spinal cord after HBO treatment, contributing to a better understanding of its mechanism. Identified several genes including Hspb1, Hmox1, Ftl1, Tnc, Igfbp3, and Slc5a7 may be involved in the process of HBO treatment alleviating SCI.

Practical Implications

Therapeutic Targets

The identified genes (Hspb1, Hmox1, Ftl1, Tnc, Igfbp3, Slc5a7) could serve as potential therapeutic targets for SCI intervention.

Treatment Timing

HBO treatment should be performed as soon as possible after injury for better functional recovery.

Pathway Regulation

HBO treatment may reduce SCI through regulating the expression of genes involved in ferroptosis and calcium signaling pathways.

Study Limitations

1
Transcriptional analysis limited to a single time point.
2
Molecular mechanism by which differentially expressed genes influence SCI after HBO was not clarified.
3
Analysis at multiple time points after injury is needed.

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