title: Effect of leptin treatment on neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the possible neuroprotective and ameliorating effects of leptin treatment in hypoxic-ischemic injury induced neuronal cell death.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimental groups in the study were: sham-operated group, leptin treated hypoxia-ischemia group, and vehicle treated hypoxia-ischemia group. In hypoxia-ischemia group, left common carotid artery was ligated permanently on the seventh postnatal day. Two hours after the procedure, hypoxia (92% nitrogen and 8% oxygen) was applied for 2.5 h. Leptin treatment was injected (intraperitoneally; i.p.) as a single dose immediately after the hypoxia period. Neuronal cell death, neuronal density, and leptin levels were evaluated in both hemispheres 72 h after the hypoxic-ischemic insult.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the hypoxic-ischemia group, the mean leptin levels were higher in the brains of the sham group for both hemispheres. The leptin treatment significantly diminished the number of 'apoptotic cells' in the hippocampal CA1, CA2, CA3, and gyrus dentatus regions in both hemispheres. Leptin treatment significantly preserved the number of neurons in both hemispheres, when compared with the vehicle treated group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that leptin treatment improves neuronal density and decreases apoptosis in the newborn rat with hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Dokuz Eylul University, Medical Faculty, Izmir, Turkey. abdullah.kumral@deu.edu.tr
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumral
authors.forename: Didem Cemile
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Yesilirmak
authors.forename: Sule
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sozmen
authors.forename: Bekir Ugur
authors.initials: BU
authors.lastname: Ergur
authors.forename: Kazim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tugyan
authors.forename: Seda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozbal
authors.forename: Serkan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guclu
authors.forename: Nuray
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Duman
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozkan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D017209:Apoptosis; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D020738:Leptin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents