Effect of hyperbaric oxygenation on arterial Thrombosis in experimental cerebral Malaria

Abstract

Malaria is a major human parasitic disease, placing more than 3 billion people at risk and having a negative impact on the socio-economic development of many countries. Cerebral Malaria (CM), the most common severe form of the disease is a multifactorial process leading to brain tissue damage, mainly due to the blockage of blood flow and imbalance of the immune response of the host. Endothelial activation and a change in the number of platelets, among other factors, strongly suggest a dysregulation in coagulation in MC. However, the pathogenesis of CM is not completely understood, in part due to ethical considerations limiting different approaches of studies in humans. In this sense, C57BL / 6 mice infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA seem to be the model that most closely resembles human cerebral malaria. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) has been widely used as potentiating wound healing and against anaerobic microorganisms. In addition, we have recently shown that HBO has a protective effect in Experimental Cerebral Malaria (ECM) reducing mortality, clinical signs, and levels of inflammatory cytokines in animals infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA. Therefore, the aim of this project is to evaluate the effect of hyperbaric oxygenation in arterial thrombosis, analyzing time thrombus formation and cells involved in this process. (AU)