Special types of bacteria and microalgae have the ability to release large amounts of oxygen into our atmosphere. These organisms are believed to be responsible for oxygenated air being first introduced to the planet.
Recent research shows that the life-giving respiration is also possible on a smaller scale.
Green algae and cyanobacteria were injected into Xenopus laevis tadpoles' brains. They were found to breathe new life into their oxygen-starved neurons. It was almost like internal CPR.
The brains of tadpoles were measured to show an increase in oxygen levels when green algae and cyanobacteria were present. They also showed increased photosynthetic activity under light.
Amazingly, even more, after the frogs had been starved of oxygen, their neurons became dead, the brains of microorganisms managed to rescue their neuronal activity by restarting it.
The authors suggest that phototrophic microorganisms could be used in the future to increase oxygen levels in brains in controlled ways under certain eco-physiological conditions, or after suffering from pathological impairments.
This study is merely a proof-of-principle. This type of treatment may one day be able to help people recover from strokes or travel in oxygen-deficient environments. This is a distant possibility for now.
Without oxygen, the brain of a vertebrate cannot function for long without sustaining irreversible damage. The average vertebrate's brain consumes between 2 to 8 percent of its body's oxygen when it is at rest.
The exception is the human brain, which consumes 20 percent of our oxygen, despite only taking up 2 percent of our bodies.
This means that if we don’t breathe for more than five minutes, our brains can become dead. It is impossible to perform such experiments on humans.
In the laboratory, organoids and small sections of the brain could be first tested. Even if this works, and despite the success of the frogs' findings, this crazy idea may not work for us.
Because tadpoles have transparent skin, sunlight can easily pass through to their brains, allowing bacteria or algae to photosynthesize oxygen and provide constant and strong light. The cardiovascular system then transports the element throughout the body of the frog.
The human skull is not transparent, so we need to think of another way to trigger photosynthetic organisms within our brain to make the correct amount of oxygen.
The authors recommend injecting microorganisms directly into the heart. The microorganisms that are already in circulation and flowing through your veins, arteries, and skin will receive more sunlight theoretically.
This idea is considered "highly innovative" but could be "potentially harmful", according to the team. If they grow out of control, it could clog our blood vessels.
The Scientist was also warned by Diana Martinez, neuroscientist, that too much oxygen can be as deadly as oxygen deprivation.
Martinez, who wasn't involved in the study, stated that "the inability to control oxygen levels properly through the use these photosynthetic organs would be just as harmful as hypoxia itself."
Also, just because it is possible in frogs doesn't necessarily mean that it's worth taking on humans.
The study was published by iScience.
