American scientists have created the BrainEx system, which is able to restore blood circulation and some brain functions of a pig that is dead for several hours. However, the researchers were unable to restore perception and other higher nervous processes. An article with the results of the work was published in the journal Nature.
Experts simulated the pulsating blood flow that passes through the blood vessels of the brain at a body temperature of 37 degrees Celsius. For the purpose of the experiment, the researchers killed 32 pigs provided by the laboratory by food companies and removed the brains. The organs were placed in special chambers in the system four hours after death.
During six hours of perfusion, the authors of the work observed a decrease in the rate of cell death, partial restoration of cellular functions, including the passage of impulses through synapses. Instead of blood, a special solution was used that did not contain blood cells and coagulating substances, but carried oxygen using a compound based on hemoglobin, and also included a wide range of medicinal compounds.
It is known that the brain of animals is sensitive to low oxygen concentrations. Serious disturbances in the blood flow lead to a rapid depletion of energy reserves necessary for the vital activity of neurons, and irreversible damage to nerve tissues. However, some experts doubted that this destructive effect is inevitable during relatively short periods of hypoxia. The results of a new study demonstrate that certain brain functions can be restored even hours after death.
