Study CNS Neurosci Ther 2025

Regulation of Nrf2/GPX4 Signaling Pathway by Hyperbaric Oxygen Protects Against Depressive Behavior and Cognitive Impairment in a Spinal Cord Injury Rat Model

Li C, Wu Z, Chen F, Dai C, Yang X, Ye S, et al. — CNS Neurosci Ther, 2025

View Original on PubMed PMID 40326167

Tier 2, Indexed

Automatically imported from PubMed based on relevance criteria.

Summary

What Researchers Did

Researchers used a rat model of spinal cord injury to test whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy could reduce depression-like behavior and memory problems by targeting a cell-death process called ferroptosis in the hippocampus.

What They Found

HBOT significantly reduced depression-like behavior and cognitive deficits in injured rats. It suppressed harmful microglial activation and reduced inflammation in the hippocampus. The therapy worked by activating the Nrf2/GPX4 signaling pathway, which protects against ferroptosis, when this pathway was blocked using a drug (ML385), HBOT's protective effects disappeared entirely.

Canadian Relevance

No direct Canadian connection identified. Spinal cord injury is not a standard OHIP-covered indication for HBOT.

Study Limitations

This was an animal study using rats; results may not translate directly to humans, and clinical trials are needed to confirm these mechanisms.

This plain-language summary is generated with AI assistance and checked against the source abstract before publication. See our editorial policy.

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Study Details

Study Type	Study
Category	Neurological
Source	Pubmed
PubMed ID	40326167
Year Published	2025
Journal	CNS Neurosci Ther
MeSH Terms	Animals; Hyperbaric Oxygenation; NF-E2-Related Factor 2; Cognitive Dysfunction; Rats; Signal Transduction; Depression; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Spinal Cord Injuries; Male; Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase; Hippocampus; Disease Models, Animal

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Last reviewed: March 19, 2026 | Reviewed by: Canada Hyperbarics Editorial Team | Editorial process | Research sources | Counts & methodology