Did a brick fall on your head? Urgently introduce polyethylene glycol!

Polyethylene glycol has the ability to mechanically repair damaged cell membranes and suppress secondary axon atrophy in traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. This is achieved due to the spontaneous restoration of the membrane structure due to hydrophilic polymers, which first "glue" the fragments of the damaged membrane, after which they allow their lipid base to merge together.

Andrew Koob and Richard Borgens from Purdue University (Indiana, Lafayette) conducted a series of experiments on rats, in which animals were injured by a falling heavy object. After 2, 4 and 6 hours after the injury, the animals were given a single subcutaneous injection of polyethylene glycol. Behavioral tests carried out subsequently showed that the introduction of the polymer within 2 hours after injury significantly improves the behavioral indicators of animals compared with untreated rats of the control group. The delay in the introduction of the polymer up to 4 hours after the injury reduced the severity of the effect, but also had a significantly positive effect on the condition of the animals. The delay in the introduction of polyethylene glycol up to 6 hours completely deprived the procedure of its beneficial effects.

The authors believe that a solution of polyethylene glycol can be used as an emergency aid for various brain injuries. Perhaps soon it will become a mandatory component of first aid kits.

Article by Koob et al. "Behavioral recovery from traumatic brain injury after membrane reconstruction using polyethylene glycol" was published on June 27 in the Journal of Biological Engineering.

Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of ScienceDaily

01.07.2008