Linc00205/Mir-495-3p/Tnfsf15 Axis is Implicated in the Treatment Effect of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Patients with Post-Stroke Cognitive Impairment.

Introduction: We investigated the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy on post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) and performed the differential profiling of lncRNAs and mRNA.

Methods: The serum levels of different inflammatory factors were detected in PSCI patients with or without HBO therapy. The cognitive functions of patients in different groups were assessed before and after treatment. Differential expression analysis was performed on lncRNAs and mRNAs, followed by functional interaction prediction. The selected candidates were verified by Real-time Quantitative PCR and luciferase reporter assay.

Results: The results of MMSE and MoCA scores showed that patients in both the control (conventional treatment) group and HBO therapy group had significantly higher post-treatment cognitive scores, and in the 6th month after treatment, patients in the HBO group had higher scores than those in the control group. Blood inflammatory factors showed similar results, with the HBO group having higher anti-inflammatory factors IL-4 and IL-10 than the control group, and lower pro-inflammatory factors IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-α and IL-17A than the control group. We further identified a competitive endogenous RNA regulator network of LINC00205-hsa-miR-495-3p-TNFSF15 involved in the HBO treatment, and their expression patterns were verified by qRT-PCR.

Conclusion: HBO treatment can improve the cognitive performance of PSCI patients in comparison to conventional treatment scheme. LINC00205/miR-495-3p/TNFSF15 axis may be responsible for the treatment effect of HBO therapy.