Utilizing Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to Improve Cognitive Function in Patients With Alzheimer’s Disease by Activating Autophagy-Related Signaling Pathways

Abstract

Summary To investigate the impact of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on the cognitive function of mice with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), while also identifying the cellular pathways associated with autophagy involved in the treatment. Twenty-four APP/PSl double transgenic mice were randomly assigned to either Group A or Group B, while another 24 C57 mice were randomly allocated to Group C or Group D. HBOT was administered to mice in Group B and Group D, and the Morris water maze test was used to assess changes in mice behavior. Histological examination using hematoxylin and eosin staining was conducted to observe pathological alterations in the hippocampus of the mice brain tissue. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed to analyze autophagy-related gene pathways in the hippocampus of the mice. Following HBOT, mice in Group B exhibited a significant reduction in escape latency and a notable increase in residence time within the target quadrant compared with Group A (P<0.05), as well as Group C and Group D (P<0.01). The hippocampal neurons in Group A and Group B mice exhibited disorganized arrangements, characterized by pyknosis and margination. Conversely, neurons in Group C displayed orderly arrangements, retaining intact structures with round nuclei demonstrating clear nuclear staining and normal morphology. The cellular morphology of mice in Group D remained unaffected. PCR analysis revealed no notable disparity in autophagy-related gene expression between Group A and Group C. However, the expression levels of five genes including Tgfb1, Mapk14, Bid, Atg7, and Akt1, were significantly elevated in Group B compared to Group A. HBOT has the potential to improve the cognitive function in mice modeled with AD. This improvement of cognitive function appears to be mediated by the up-regulation of autophagy-related genes, specifically Tgfb1, Mapk14, Bid, Atg7, and Akt1. These results indicate that HBOT may offer a therapeutic strategy for treating AD by enhancing autophagy mechanisms.