Effect of Normobaric Oxygen Therapy in a Rat Model of Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Normobaric oxygen (NBO) therapy may be neuroprotective in acute ischemic stroke. However, how NBO may affect intracerebral hemorrhage is unclear. We tested NBO in a rat model of striatal intracerebral hemorrhage. Intracerebral hemorrhage was induced by stereotactic injection of collagenase Type VII (0.5 U) into the right striatum of male Sprague-Dawley rats. One hour later, rats were randomized into controls (n=13) versus NBO treatment (n=13). NBO was applied for 2 hours. Hemorrhagic blood volume, brain water content, and neurological outcomes (forelimb placement test, forelimb asymmetry, neuroscore) were quantified at 72 hours. Experiments were repeated in a second independent laboratory to assess reproducibility in neurological outcomes (n=10 per group). NBO did not worsen hemorrhage severity or brain edema. There were no significant differences in hemorrhagic blood volumes (control, 6.4±0.9 μL versus NBO, 7.0±2.1 μL; P=0.18) or brain water content (control, 81.9%±1.1% versus NBO, 81.6%±0.5%; P=0.58). NBO did not affect any of the neurological outcome tests in the primary or secondary studies. NBO therapy may not worsen outcomes in intracerebral hemorrhage.