Clinical studies have shown that hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves motor function in patients with spinal cord injury. In the present study, we explored the mechanisms associated with the recovery of neurological function after hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a rat model of spinal cord injury. We established an acute spinal cord injury model using a modiifcation of the free-falling object method, and treated the animals with oxygen at 0.2 MPa for 45 minutes, 4 hours after injury. The treatment was administered four times per day, for 3 days. Compared with model rats that did not receive the treatment, rats exposed to hyperbaric oxygen had fewer apoptotic cells in spinal cord tissue, lower expression levels of aquaporin 4/9 mRNA and protein, and more NF-200 positive nerve ifbers. Furthermore, they had smaller spinal cord cavities, rapid recovery of somatosensory and motor evoked potentials, and notably better recovery of hindlimb motor function than model rats. Our ifndings indicate that hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduces apop-tosis, downregulates aquaporin 4/9 mRNA and protein expression in injured spinal cord tissue, improves the local microenvironment for nerve regeneration, and protects and repairs the spinal cord after injury.

Mammalian adult central nerve system (CNS) injuries are devastating because of the intrinsic dififculties for effective neuronal regeneration. The greatest problem to be overcome for CNS recovery is the poor regeneration of neurons and myelin-forming cells, oligodendrocytes. En-dogenous neural progenitors and transplanted exogenous neuronal stem cells can be the source for neuronal regeneration. However, because of the harsh local microenvironment, they usually have very low efifcacy for functional neural regeneration which cannot compensate for the loss of neurons and oligodendrocytes. Glial cells (including astrocytes, microglia, oligodendrocytes and NG2 glia) are the majority of cells in CNS that provide support and protection for neurons. Inside the local microenvironment, glial cells largely inlfuence local and transplanted neural stem cells survival and fates. This review critically analyzes current ifnding of the roles of glial cells in CNS regeneration, and highlights strategies for regulating glial cells’ behavior to create a permis-sive microenvironment for neuronal stem cells.

Survival and differentiation of transplanted cells is closely related to the local microenvironment.The present study cultured human amniotic epithelial cells (HAECs) in a simulated microenvironment in vitro comprising RPMI 1640 culture medium and the solution extracted from injured brain tissues. Some HAECs were round, triangular in form or irregularly shaped, with extended neuronlike processes; some of the processes were interconnected, representing neuron-like morphologyand some HAECs were microtubule-associated protein 2-positive. HAECs survived for at least 4 weeks following transplantation into the center and edges of the trauma focus with traumatic brain injury, and were microtubule-associated protein 2-positive. Moreover, the motor function of rat hind limbs was significantly improved.