Xenon Could Protect Brain from Trauma Injury

Treatment with xenon gas after a head injury reduces the extent of brain damage, according to a new study in mice.

Researchers at Imperial College London (Imperial, United Kingdom) conducted a study in mice that who were anesthetized before undergoing a controlled cortical impact to create a mechanical traumatic brain injury (TBI). They were then treated with xenon gas at different concentrations—75%, 50%, or 30% xenon, with 25% oxygen and the balance being nitrogen—and at different times after injury. Outcomes were measured using functional neurologic outcome score, histological measurement of contusion volume, and analysis of locomotor function and gait.

The results showed that neurologic outcome scores were significantly better in xenon-treated groups in the early phase (15 minutes or one hour after injury) and up to four days after injury. Contusion volume was also significantly reduced in the xenon-treated groups, especially when xenon was given 15 minutes after injury, or when treatment was delayed up to three hours after injury. Improvements in locomotor function were observed in the xenon-treated group one month after trauma. The study was published online on September 3, 2104, in Critical Care Medicine.

“After a blow to the head, most of the damage to the brain doesn't occur immediately but in the hours and days afterwards. At present we have no specific drugs to limit the spread of the secondary injury, but we think that is the key to successful treatment,” said senior author Robert Dickinson, PhD, of the department of surgery and cancer at Imperial. “This study shows that xenon can prevent brain damage and disability in mice, and crucially it's effective when given up to at least three hours after the injury. It's feasible that someone who hits their head in an accident could be treated in the hospital or in an ambulance in this timeframe.”

Head injury is the leading cause of death and disability in people under 45 years of age in developed countries, mostly resulting from falls and road accidents. The primary injury caused by the initial mechanical force is followed by a secondary injury which develops in the hours and days afterwards, which is largely responsible for patients' mental and physical disabilities. Previous studies at Imperial found that xenon can protect brain cells from mechanical injury due to its general anesthetic properties, and it is also being studied as a treatment for babies who experience oxygen deprivation during birth.

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