The neuroprotective effects of normobaric oxygen therapy after stroke

BackgroundStroke, including ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, is a severe and prevalent acute cerebrovascular disease. The development of hypoxia following stroke can trigger a cascade of pathological events, including mitochondrial dysfunction, energy deficiency, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and excitotoxicity, all of which are often associated with unfavorable prognosis. Nonetheless, a noninvasive intervention, referred to as normobaric hyperoxia (NBO), is known to have neuroprotective effects against stroke.ResultsNBO can exert neuroprotective effects through various mechanisms, such as the rescue of hypoxic tissues, preservation of the blood-brain barrier, reduction of brain edema, alleviation of neuroinflammation, improvement of mitochondrial function, mitigation of oxidative stress, reduction of excitotoxicity, and inhibition of apoptosis. These mechanisms may help improve the prognosis of stroke patients.ConclusionsThis review summarizes the mechanism by which hypoxia causes brain injury and how NBO can act as a neuroprotective therapy to treat stroke. We conclude that NBO has significant potential for treating stroke and may represent a novel therapeutic strategy. After stroke, hypoxia causes a series of pathological events, including energy deficiency, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and excitoxicity. NBO treatment rescues this pathological process and has a neuroprotective effect.image