• Y W Yang, W P Cheng, J K Lu, X H Dong, C B Wang, J Zhang, L Y Zhao, and Z F Gao.
• Department of Anaesthesiology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, Beijing 100029, China.
• Br J Anaesth. 2014 Jul 1;113(1):168-76.

BackgroundThis study was designed to assess the neuroprotective effect of xenon-induced delayed postconditioning on spinal cord ischaemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) and to determine the time of administration for best neuroprotection in a rat model of spinal cord IRI.MethodsFifty male rats were randomly divided equally into a sham group, control group, and three xenon postconditioning groups (n=10 per group). The control group underwent spinal cord IRI and immediately inhaled 50% nitrogen/50% oxygen for 3 h at the initiation of reperfusion. The three xenon postconditioning groups underwent the same surgical procedure and immediately inhaled 50% xenon/50% oxygen for 3 h at the initiation of reperfusion or 1 and 2 h after reperfusion. The sham operation group underwent the same surgical procedure without aortic occlusion, and inhaled 50% nitrogen/50% oxygen. Neurological function was assessed using the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan score at 4, 24, and 48 h of reperfusion. Histological examination was performed using Nissl staining and immunohistochemistry, and apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end-labelling staining.ResultsCompared with the control group, the three xenon postconditioning groups showed improvements in neurological outcomes, and had more morphologically normal neurones at 48 h of reperfusion. Apoptotic cell death was reduced and the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax immunoreactivity increased in xenon-treated rats compared with controls.ConclusionsXenon postconditioning up to 2 h after reperfusion provided protection against spinal cord IRI in rats, but the greatest neuroprotection occurred with administration of xenon for 1 h at reperfusion.© The Author [2013]. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Journal of Anaesthesia. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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