Shenfu injection attenuates neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in rat.
Perinatal hypoxia-ischemia remains the most important cause of brain injury in the newborn. However, there is still no effective cure for neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD). In the present study, we aimed to examine the neuroprotective effects of Shenfu injection (SFI) on HIBD of neonatal rat. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly into three groups (n = 8): S group: the rats were sham operated; C group: the rats were operated for HIBD modeling and received intraperitoneal injection of saline; SFI group: the rats were operated for HIBD modeling and received intraperitoneal injection of SFI (10 ml/kg days) for 7 days. Flow cytometry analysis showed that apoptosis rate of neuron in hippocampal CAI region in SFI group was significantly less than in NC group at 3 and 7 days after HI insult (P < 0.05). Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that Bcl-2 expression was markedly higher while Bax expression was significantly lower in SFI group than in the C group at 24, 72 h and 7 days after HI insult (P < 0.05). Our findings suggest that SFI exhibits neuroprotective effects for neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury by preventing neuron apoptosis and has potential to be used in the clinical for the treatment of perinatal hypoxia-ischemia.
Department of Paediatrics, Huai'an First People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, 223300, Jiangsu, China.
Li-Juan
LJ
Yang
Jun
J
Wang
Zhao-Fang
ZF
Tian
Yu-Fang
YF
Yuan
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; C492793:Shen-Fu