Role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in PDGF-BB-mediated astrogliosis in traumatic brain injury rats associated with ERK1/2 signaling pathway inhibition.

Background: Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) plays positive roles in the therapy of traumatic brain injury (TBI); however, the mechanism underlying its effects on TBI is largely unknown. The study aims to elucidate the molecular mechanism implicated with the interaction between platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) signaling pathway, which may play critical roles during HBO treatment both in the astrocyte scratching model in vitro and rat TBI model in vivo.

Methods: Changes in neurological function and wound healing were evaluated using the neurological severity scores (NSS) scale, immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and qRT-PCR, respectively.