The present disclosure relates to a physical method and apparatus for regulating molecular transport within a brain extracellular space.
The extracellular space (ECS) is a complex, interwoven space present between brain cells and between cells and blood vessels. Within this space, substance transport occurs in both convection and diffusion modes. A novel drug delivery method via the ECS has successfully bypassed the blood-brain barrier, which impedes most drugs from entering the brain, offering new hope for many drugs that previously failed when developed for oral and intravenous delivery routes.
The factors influencing substance transport within the brain ECS are complex; and neural excitation and post-excitation neurotransmitter release may all cause changes in the transport speed within the brain ECS (Y. Li et al., 2020; Shi et al., 2015). Various factors such as sleep (Xie et al., 2013), anesthesia (Zhao et al., 2020), neural excitation (Shi et al., 2015), and development (R. Wang et al., 2021) may positively or negatively regulate the drainage of interstitial fluid (ISF) within the brain ECS. All of these provide important theoretical foundations and technical approaches for exploring stroke treatment through the ECS pathway. For example, pain stimulation (Shi et al., 2015) and olfactory stimulation may slow down ISF drainage speed: light exposure may accelerate ISF drainage to promote the removal of ab from the brain, thereby treating Alzheimer's disease (Yue et al., 2019); and different durations of simulated microgravity (Gao et al., 2021) and different types of anesthesia (Zhao et al., 2020) may regulate ISF drainage positively or negatively.
Currently, more effective methods for regulating molecular transport within the brain extracellular space are still needed.
One object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for regulating molecular transport within a brain extracellular space.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus for regulating molecular transport within a brain extracellular space.
The present disclosure provides a physical method for regulating molecular transport within a brain extracellular space. The method includes: applying an external pressure to brain tissue of an animal, wherein a rhythm of applying the external pressure is related to intrinsic rhythmicity of the animal.
The method may effectively regulate molecular transport within the brain extracellular space.
In some exemplary embodiments, the intrinsic rhythmicity is respiratory rhythm, a heart rhythm, a brain pulsation rhythm, or a vascular pulsation rhythm.
In some exemplary embodiments, the external pressure is applied to the brain tissue of the animal from a lateral side of dura mater of the animal.
The present disclosure further provides an apparatus for regulating molecular transport within a brain extracellular space includes: a detection mechanism, a pressurization mechanism, and a control mechanism. The detection mechanism is capable of detecting intrinsic rhythmicity of an animal. The pressurization mechanism is capable of applying an external pressure to brain tissue of the animal. The control mechanism is capable of control the pressurization mechanism based on a detection result of the detection mechanism, such that a rhythm of applying the external pressure by the pressurization mechanism is related to the intrinsic rhythmicity of the animal. The apparatus may effectively regulate molecular transport within the brain extracellular space.
In some exemplary embodiments, the intrinsic rhythmicity is respiratory rhythm, a heart rhythm, a brain pulsation rhythm, or a vascular pulsation rhythm.
In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus includes a flexible bladder, a fluid container, and a fluid charging and discharging unit. The flexible bladder is capable of applying the external pressure to the brain tissue of the animal by injecting fluid. The fluid container is capable of storing fluid. The fluid charging and discharging unit is communicated with the flexible bladder and the fluid container, and is capable of injecting fluid stored in the fluid container into the flexible bladder and also capable of discharging fluid from the flexible bladder. The control mechanism is capable of controlling the fluid charging and discharging unit.
In some exemplary embodiments, the detection mechanism is an electrocardiogram monitor, and the control mechanism is capable of extracting QRS wave and T wave from the detection result of the detection mechanism; and the control mechanism is capable of controlling the fluid charging and discharging unit to inject fluid into the flexible bladder at a start point of the QRS wave, and controlling the fluid charging and discharging unit to discharge fluid from the flexible bladder at an end point of the T wave.
In some exemplary embodiments, the fluid charging and discharging unit includes an intake tube, a gas compressor, an exhaust tube, and an exhaust valve. One end of the intake tube is communicated with the flexible bladder, and the other end of the intake tube is communicated with an outlet of the gas compressor. An inlet of the gas compressor is communicated with the fluid container. One end of the exhaust tube is communicated with the flexible bladder, and the other end of the exhaust tube is communicated with the exhaust valve. The control mechanism is capable of controlling the gas compressor and the exhaust valve.
In some exemplary embodiments, the fluid charging and discharging unit further includes an intake valve arranged between the gas compressor and the fluid container.
In some exemplary embodiments, the fluid charging and discharging unit further includes a flowmeter connected to the control mechanism. The flowmeter is arranged in the intake tube and the exhaust tube to detect a volume of fluid flowing through the intake tube and the exhaust tube. The control mechanism is capable of accumulate a total intake volume and/or a total exhaust volume based on a detection result of the flowmeter. The apparatus further includes a display unit, wherein the display unit is connected to the control mechanism, and the control mechanism is capable of controlling the display unit to display the detection result of the detection mechanism, and the total intake volume and/or the total exhaust volume.
In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus includes a motor and an actuator plate. The control mechanism is capable of controlling the motor to operate. The actuator plate is connected to an output end of the motor, wherein the motor is capable of driving the actuator plate to move to apply the external pressure to the brain tissue of the animal.
In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus further includes a pressure sensor. The pressure sensor is arranged in the pressurization mechanism, and is configured to detect the external force applied by the pressurization mechanism to the brain tissue. The pressure sensor is connected to the control mechanism, and the control mechanism is capable of controlling the pressurization mechanism based on a detection result of the pressurization mechanism, such that a maximum value of the external pressure applied by the pressurization mechanism to the brain tissue of the animal satisfies a predetermined value.
In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus further includes an input mechanism. The input mechanism is connected to the control mechanism, and is capable of inputting an operating parameter and a turn-on or turn-off signal to the control mechanism. The operating parameter includes the predetermined value of the maximum value of the external pressure applied by the pressurization mechanism to the brain tissue of the animal.
The accompanying drawings are merely for schematic and illustrative description and demonstration of the present disclosure, instead of limiting the scope of the present disclosure.
For clearer descriptions of the technical features, objects, and the technical effects of the present disclosure, the specific embodiments of the present disclosure are hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals denote elements having the same structure or having the similar structure but the same function.
In this text, the term “exemplary” or “schematic” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and any illustration or embodiment described herein as “exemplary” shall not be necessarily construed as preferred or advantageous over other illustrations or embodiments.
For brevity, parts relevant to the present disclosure are merely illustrated in the drawings, and these parts do not denote the actual structure of the product.
The detection mechanism 10 is capable of detecting intrinsic rhythmicity of an animal. As for the intrinsic rhythmicity (automaticity for short), generally, when a system acts without any external stimulation, the system has intrinsic rhythmicity. In the perspective of physiology, the intrinsic rhythmicity typically refers to the ability of a part or organ of the body to continue its excitable activity without any additional stimulation. The intrinsic rhythmicity may be, for example, respiratory rhythm, a heart rhythm, a brain pulsation rhythm, or a vascular pulsation rhythm. When the intrinsic rhythmicity is the heart rhythm, the detection mechanism 10 is, for example, an electrocardiogram monitor.
The pressurization mechanism 30 is capable of applying an external pressure to brain tissue of the animal. The external pressure refers to a force applied by a structure outside the brain tissue to the brain tissue.
Specifically, as illustrated in
The control mechanism 50 is capable of control the pressurization mechanism 10 based on a detection result of the detection mechanism 30, such that a rhythm of applying the external pressure by the pressurization mechanism 30 is related to the intrinsic rhythmicity of the animal. Specifically, in the exemplary embodiments, the controller mechanism 50 is capable of controlling the fluid charging and discharging unit 33, and further, the control mechanism 50 is capable of controlling the gas compressor 332 and the exhaust valve 334.
The apparatus is capable of applying an external pressure to brain tissue of an animal, wherein a rhythm of applying the external pressure is related to intrinsic rhythmicity of the animal.
In some exemplary embodiments, the fluid charging and discharging unit 33 further includes an intake valve 336 arranged between the gas compressor 332 and the fluid container 32.
In the exemplary embodiments, the detection mechanism 10 is, for example, an electrocardiogram monitor, and the control mechanism 50 is capable of, for example, extracting QRS wave and T wave from the detection result of the detection mechanism 10. The control mechanism 50 is capable of controlling the fluid charging and discharging unit 33 to inject fluid into the flexible bladder 31 at a start point of the QRS wave, and controlling the fluid charging and discharging unit 33 to discharge fluid from the flexible bladder 31 at an end point of the T wave. In this way, precise control is facilitated. Specifically, in the exemplary embodiments, the control mechanism 50 includes, for example, a preamplifier 51, a high-pass filter 52, a pulse amplitude and frequency extraction circuit 53, and a microcontroller 54. Electrocardiogram signals measured by the electrocardiogram monitor are sent to the preamplifier 51 and the high-pass filter 52 for removal of baseline, and then enter the pulse amplitude and frequency extraction circuit 53 and are shaped into digital signals in the pulse amplitude and frequency extraction circuit 53. Afterwards, the digital signals are fed to the microcontroller 54, and the microcontroller 54 is capable of controlling the exhaust valve 334 and the intake valve 336.
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In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus further includes a battery to provide power energy required for the operation of the apparatus.
In some exemplary embodiments, the pressurization mechanism may further include, for example, a motor and an actuator plate. The control mechanism is capable of controlling the motor to operate. The actuator plate is connected to an output end of the motor, wherein the motor is capable of driving the actuator plate to move to apply the external pressure to the brain tissue of the animal. However, the pressurization mechanism may also be a structure capable of applying an external pressure to the brain tissue of the animal.
Hereinafter, applying the external pressure to the brain tissue of the animal, impacts on the molecular transport within the brain extracellular space due to correlation between the rhythm of applying the external pressure and the intrinsic rhythmicity of the animal are verified or confirmed by experiments.
In this experiment, an external pressure was applied to brain tissue of rats using pulsation of the rats' own arteries to synchronize a rhythm of applying the external pressure with a pulsation rhythm of the arteries.
The rats were randomly divided into four groups according to the experimental requirements:
Control group (Group A): No arterial patching performed.
Arterial patching surgery group (Group B): Arterial patching surgery and ipsilateral contrast agent application performed.
Arterial patching surgery contralateral group (Group C): Arterial patching surgery and contralateral contrast agent application performed.
Arterial patching with gelatin sponge pad group (Group D): Arterial patching surgery, ipsilateral contrast agent application, and gelatin sponge pad application performed.
Arterial patching: The rats' own arteries were placed epidurally on the right side of the brain.
Ipsilateral contrast agent: The contrast agent was present in the rat's right caudate nucleus.
Contralateral contrast agent: The contrast agent was present in the rat's left caudate nucleus.
Gelatin sponge pad application: A gelatin sponge pad was placed under the artery used for arterial patching to counteract the effects of arterial pulsation.
MRI scanning was performed on rats in the prone position, and images were collected until the contrast agent had fully diffused. The collected images are shown in
The MRI scan results were post-processed using the NanoDetect analysis software to obtain the following parameters:
contrast agent clearance half-life (T½), brain ECS molecular diffusion coefficient (D*), brain ECS tortuosity (λ), and brain ECS volume fraction (a). The results can be seen in
As shown in
From
The conclusion that arterial patching can enhance the molecular diffusion coefficient within the brain ECS is also clearly demonstrated in the D-mapping visualization charts of the molecular diffusion coefficient within the brain ECS.
According to the experimental results described above, compared to the control group (Group A), the arterial patching surgery group (Group B) shows accelerated ISF drainage in the brain. This change can be detected from the first day after surgery and persists up to 15 days. The arterial patching surgery contralateral group (Group C) did not exhibit significant differences, indicating that arterial patching surgery can effectively improve ISF drainage from the deep to superficial layers of the brain on the same side, but not on the contralateral side. This suggests a region-specific regulatory effect.
Based on the experimental results, the brain ISF drainage in the arterial patching with gelatin sponge pad group (Group D) showed no significant difference from the control group (Group A), indicating that brain ISF drainage returns to normal when the effect of arterial pulsation is blocked. The results from
This demonstrates that epidural placement of arteries can promote molecular diffusion within the brain ECS while altering the ECS structure.
The experimental approach using the rat's own arteries to apply the external pressure to the brain tissue can be understood and could be replaced by using a device, as illustrated in
The present disclosure provides a physical method for regulating molecular transport within a brain extracellular space. The method includes: applying an external pressure to brain tissue of an animal, wherein a rhythm of applying the external pressure is related to intrinsic rhythmicity of the animal. In some exemplary embodiments, the intrinsic rhythmicity may be, for example, respiratory rhythm, a heart rhythm, a brain pulsation rhythm, or a vascular pulsation rhythm. The external pressure is, for example, applied to the brain tissue of the animal from a lateral side of dura mater of the animal. The application of the external pressure can be achieved using the arterial patching method employed in the aforementioned experiment, or by using the device shown in
As seen from the above effects, the method may effectively regulate molecular transport within the brain extracellular space.
A series of detailed descriptions given in this specification are merely intended to illustrate feasible embodiments of the present disclosure, instead of limiting the protection scope of the present disclosure. Any equivalent embodiments or modifications, for example, combinations, segmentations, or repetition of features, derived without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/CN2021/138337 | 12/15/2021 | WO |