Nanoparticles Help Restore Balance to Brain’s Vascular System in the Event of Trauma

By Will SoutterAug 27 2012

A nanoparticle synthesized by researchers at Rice University and assessed in conjunction with Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) holds great promise in emergency treatment of brain injury.

The nanoparticle of interest is combined polyethylene glycol-hydrophilic carbon clusters (PEG-HCC) which is already in focus as an enhancement to cancer treatment. The nanoparticles which are also good antioxidants were injected in animals during the preliminary treatment subsequent to brain injury. They were found to aid the vascular system of the brain in regaining its balance.

Scientists at Rice consider PEG-HCC as the primary defense against reactive oxygen species (ROS) called superoxides (SO) which are released in excess into the blood in the event of a medical trauma. Superoxides are noxious free radicals normally employed by the immune system to destroy attacking microorganisms. Superoxides are neutralized by the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) in healthy organisms. In the event of trauma to the brain, the excess generation of SO kills the brain’s natural defense mechanism. The autoregulatory mechanism in the brain balances the blood circulation under varying conditions of blood pressure. Under trauma, the SO can impede the autoregulatory mechanism and can aggravate the brain damage. When oxygen is provided as part of initial treatment to restore normal blood flow, it actually produces more such free radicals. In the tests carried out with PEG-HCC, the researchers found that the nanoparticles stopped superoxide activity by forming harmless carbon double bonds with the SO and facilitated the restoration of balance to the autoregulatory system. These nanoparticles have the added benefit of being able to alter hundreds and thousands of SO as opposed to just one SO molecule altered by each SOD enzyme.