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Updated: Apr 30, 2026
Non-invasive Imaging and Analysis of Cerebral Ischemia in Living Rats Using Positron Emission Tomography with 18F-FDG
Published on: December 28, 2014
Radon inhalation protects against transient global cerebral ischemic injury in gerbils
Takahiro Kataoka1, Reo Etani, Yuji Takata
1Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama University, 5-1 Shikata-cho 2-chome, Kita-ku, Okayama-shi, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan, kataokat@md.okayama-u.ac.jp.
Abstract:
Although brain disorders are not the main indication for radon therapy, our previous study suggested that radon inhalation therapy might mitigate brain disorders. In this study, we assessed whether radon inhalation protects against transient global cerebral ischemic injury in gerbils. Gerbils were treated with inhaled radon at a concentration of 2,000 Bq/m(3) for 24 h. After radon inhalation, transient global cerebral ischemia was induced by bilateral occlusion of the common carotid artery. Results showed that transient global cerebral ischemia induced neuronal damage in hippocampal CA1, and the number of damaged neurons was significantly increased compared with control. However, radon treatment inhibited ischemic damage. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the radon-treated gerbil brain was significantly higher than that in sham-operated gerbils. These findings suggested that radon inhalation activates antioxidative function, especially SOD, thereby inhibiting transient global cerebral ischemic injury in gerbils.
