Study investigated neuroutcome in mice subjected at 7-8 d of life to hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HI) followed by 30 min of reoxygenation with 100% O 2 (Re-O 2 ) or room air (Re-Air). At 24 h of recovery, mouse reflexes were tested. At 7 wks after HI spatial orientation and memory were assessed in the same mice. Mortality rate was recorded at 24 h and at 7 wks of recovery. In separate cohort of mice, changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) during HI-insult and reoxygenation were recorded. T he resuscitation of asphyxiated neonates is aimed to reestablish tissue oxygen delivery by restoring blood flow and increasing the arterial oxygen content. Use of 100% O 2 during neonatal resuscitation is currently recommended (1). However, Re-O 2 compared with Re-Air significantly exacerbates an oxidative stress in asphyxiated neonates (2), which is one of the mechanisms of HI-brain injury (3). To avoid hyperoxia-induced oxidative stress, the efficacy of resuscitation with room air (RA) instead of 100% O 2 is being extensively studied. To date, results of these studies are conflicting. For instance, it was reported that in asphyxiated pigs the Re-O 2 restored CBF significantly faster and more complete compared with Re-Air (4). Significantly higher levels of excitatory amino acids were found in the striatum of newborn HI-piglets Re-Air compared with Re-O 2 piglets which may be indicative of less favorable neurologic prognosis for Re-Air animals (5). However, Liu. Y and co-authors, using a canine model of cardiac arrest, demonstrated that Re-O 2 versus ReAir resulted in greater neurologic impairment assessed at 24 h of recovery (6). In contrast, the postischemic use of hyperbaric oxygenation, which produces substantial oxidative stress (7), significantly improved neurologic score following focal cerebral ischemia in adult rats and HI in neonatal rats (8,9). Hyperbaric oxygenation used as a mode of resuscitation from experimental heatstroke in rats was shown to be significantly neuroprotective (10). Meier and co-authors reported that hyperoxic ventilation significantly reduced short-term (6 h) mortality due to systemic ischemia following an acute hemorrhagic shock in pigs (11). The most recent meta-analysis indicates that there are not enough data to challenge current recommendation of using of pure O 2 during resuscitation (12).The assessment of long-term neurologic handicap following HI is of paramount clinical value to define the ultimate efficacy of Re-O2 versus Re-Air in an asphyxiated subject. There are no reports on late neurologic outcome and reoxygenation strategy following asphyxia. This work was undertaken to provide experimental data on short-and long-term neuropathological and neurofunctional outcomes in HIaffected mice re-oxygenated with either 100% O 2 or RA immediately following the index event.
MATERIALS AND METHODSMurine model of HI. Three day old (p3) C57/BL6J mice of both genders were purchased from Jackson Laboratories (Bar Harbor, ME) with their birth mothers. All research was conducted according ...