Hyperbaric oxygen exposure reduces ICAM-1 and HIF-1α expression in brain endothelial cells from experimental cerebral malaria mice

This study aimed to reveal the role of ICAM-1 and HIF-1α in brain endothelial cell of cerebral malaria mice model after exposure to 2.4 absolute atmospheres (ATA) hyperbaric oxygen (HBO). Thirty-nine C57BL/6 mice were divided into three groups: control negative (normal mice without any exposure), control positive (Plasmodium berghei ANKA [PbA] infection without HBO exposure), and treatment (PbA infection and exposed to HBO for 10 sessions after the parasite grew). Parasitemia and clinical symptoms were observed every day. Brain tissues were isolated on day 13 post-infection for histopathological and immunohistochemical examination (observed at 400x magnification in 10 visual fields). HBO decreased HIF-1α and ICAM-1 expression in endothelial cells. There was a moderate correlation between HIF-1α and ICAM-1 expression. Ten HBO sessions prevented cerebral malaria, as denoted by the decreased expression of ICAM-1 and HIF-1α in brain vascular endothelial cells from the experimental mice.