Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism : official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism
-
J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab. · May 2006
Hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning induces tolerance against spinal cord ischemia by upregulation of antioxidant enzymes in rabbits.
The present study examined the hypothesis that spinal cord ischemic tolerance induced by hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) preconditioning is triggered by an initial oxidative stress and is associated with an increase of antioxidant enzyme activities as one effector of the neuroprotection. New Zealand White rabbits were subjected to HBO preconditioning, hyperbaric air (HBA) preconditioning, or sham pretreatment once daily for five consecutive days before spinal cord ischemia. ⋯ In addition, administration of a free radical scavenger, dimethylthiourea, 500 mg/kg, intravenous, 1 h before each day's preconditioning, reversed the increase of the activities of both enzymes in spinal cord tissue. The results indicate that an initial oxidative stress, as a trigger to upregulate the antioxidant enzyme activities, plays an important role in the formation of the tolerance against spinal cord ischemia by HBO preconditioning.