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Updated: Apr 18, 2026
Quantification of Neurovascular Protection Following Repetitive Hypoxic Preconditioning and Transient Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion in Mice
Published on: May 4, 2015
Relative neuroprotective effects hyperbaric oxygen treatment and TLR4 knockout in a mouse model of temporary middle
Dennis Pushkov1, James D Nicholson2,3, Shalom Michowiz1,2
1a Department of Neurosurgery, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petach Tikva, Israel.
Purpose:
To examine the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy and knockout of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) on the outcome of temporary middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in a mouse model.
Materials And Methods:
MCAO was induced in anesthetized male C57Bl/6 mice (WT) and TLR4 knockout mice (TLR4(-/-)) using an intra-arterial filament method. After 30 or 90 min, the filament was removed, and the mice were given either no treatment (WT and TLR4(-/-) groups) or HBO (WT only). Mice were euthanized 24 h after MCAO, and the brain infarct area was examined using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining.
Results:
In the WT group, without treatment, lesion volume was 120 ± 13 mm(3) in the mice subjected to 30 min' MCAO and 173 ± 23 mm(3) in the mice subjected to 90 min' MCAO. Respective values with HBO treatment were 66.5 ± 36.7 mm(3) and 53.2 ± 17.2 mm(3). The difference was significant only for 90-minute MCAO (p < 0.01, nonparametric test). In the TLR4(-/-) group (all untreated), lesion volume was 95.9 ± 17.9 after 90 min of MCAO, which was significantly lower than in the untreated WT animals (p < 0.05, nonparametric test).
Conclusions:
A single treatment of HBO immediately after MCAO followed by 24 h' reperfusion significantly reduces edema and may improve perfusion. TLR4 knockout protects mice from MCAO damage, but to a lesser extent than HBO treatment.
