Theranostic Oxygen Reactive Polymers for Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of disability and death in children and adults under 45, with approximately ten million new cases per year worldwide. Significant progress has been made in understanding the complex pathophysiological response to TBI; however, reducing the damage associated with the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent secondary phase of the injury remains a substantial challenge. The development of an image-guided, Gd-conjugated, oxygen reactive polymer (ORP) to reduce ROS levels in damaged brain tissue is reported. ORP effectively sequesters ROS while remaining biocompatible even at elevated concentrations. ORP is retained in damaged brains of controlled cortical impact (CCI) mouse models of TBI for over 24 h when injected intravenously immediately and up to 3 h post-CCI. The polymer reduces neurodegeneration tenfold and gliosis twofold in these mouse models. ORP shows initial promise as an effective therapy for TBI and helps provide a better understanding of nanomaterial interaction with damaged brain.

Department(s)

Materials Science and Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

antioxidant; concussion; image-guided; neuroprotection; RAFT

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

1616-301X

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jun 2016

Link to Full Text

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