Stroke, also known as "
cerebrovascular accident", is an acute
cerebrovascular disease that is caused by a sudden
rupture of blood vessels in the brain or obstruction of the blood supply by blockage of blood vessels, thus including hemorrhagic and
ischemic strokes. The incidence of
ischemic stroke is higher than that of
hemorrhagic stroke, and accounts for 80% of the total number of
strokes. However, the mortality rate of
hemorrhagic stroke is relatively high. Internal carotid artery and vertebral artery occlusion and
stenosis can cause
ischemic stroke, and especially males over 40 years of age are at a high risk of morbidity. According to the survey,
stroke in urban and rural areas has become the first cause of death in China. It is also the leading cause of disability in Chinese adults. In a word,
stroke is characterized by high morbidity, high mortality and high disability rates. Studies have shown that many
noble gases have the
neuroprotective effects. For example,
xenon has been extensively studied in various animal models of neurological injury including
stroke,
hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Compared to
xenon,
Argon, as a noble gas, is abundant, cheap and widely applicable, and has been also demonstrated to be neuroprotective in many research studies. In a variety of models, ranging from
oxygen-
glucose deprivation in cell culture to complex models of mid-cerebral artery occlusion,
subarachnoid hemorrhage or
retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury in animals.
Argon administration after individual injury demonstrated favorable effects, particularly increased cell survival and even improved neuronal function. Therefore the
neuroprotective effects of
argon may be of possible clinical use for opening a potential therapeutic window in
stroke. It is important to illuminate the mechanisms of
argon in nerve function and to explore the best use of this gas in
stroke treatment.