title: Effect of basic fibroblast growth factor on focal ischemic injury and antioxidant enzyme activities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on focal cerebral ischemic injury and antioxidant enzyme activities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rats underwent 24-h middle cerebral artery occlusion by intraluminal suture. Infarction volume was shown with staining and quantitated by image analysis system. Neurologic deficit scores were determined with a 0-5 grade scale. Antioxidant enzyme activities of forebrains were detected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  bFGF (45 micrograms.kg-1.h-1 i.v. for 3 h, started 5 min after the onset of ischemia) showed potent neuroprotective effects. Infarction volumes were decreased from 272 mm3 +/- 22 mm3 (saline-treated) to 201 mm3 +/- 30 mm3 (bFGF-treated). Neurologic deficit scores were decreased from 3.6 +/- 1.5 (saline-treated) to 2.3 +/- 1.6 (bFGF-treated). Focal cerebral ischemia induced an increase in the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), but a decrease in the level of glutathione s-transferase (GSH-ST). Treatment of bFGF further increased the CAT activity but had no effect on the activities of SOD, GSH-PX, and GSH-ST.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  bFGF has a neuroprotective effect against focal cerebral ischemic injury. The elevation of CAT activity by bFGF may be involved in this effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: X Z
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: X Q
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Ji
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism*; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D005982:Glutathione Transferase