title: [Effect of recombinant human erythropoietin on apoptosis of neural cells in fetal rats after intrauterine hypoxic-ischemic injury].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of recombine human erythropoietin (rhEPO) on apoptosis of neural cells in fetal rats after intrauterine hypoxic-ischemic injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty SD rats on 19 days of pregnancy were divided into rhEPO (2500 U/kg, 5000 U/kg, 7500 U/kg) treated groups, ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) group and sham-operated group (4 rats in each group). Intrauterine hypoxic-ischemic injury of fetal rat was induced by bilateral occlusion of utero-ovarian artery for 20 min. rhEPO was injected into the rats in rhEPO treated group through the caudal vein 30 min before hypoxic-ischemic injury while saline was used in the other two groups. There was no hypoxic-ischemic injury in sham-operated group. The death rate of fetal rats was evaluated at 24 h after the operation, and then the brain samples of fetal rats were harvested. The expression of Caspase-3 protein was observed by immunohistochemistry. Neuroapoptosis was measured by TdT mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Death rates of fetal rats in rhEPO treated groups decreased compared with the I/R group (P < 0.05). Compared with the I/R group, there was less expression of copious Caspase-3 in rhEPO treated group (P < 0.01). The expression of Caspase-3 was decreased in the rhEPO treated groups with the increase of rhEPO dose (P < 0.01). Compared with the I/R group, the death rate of fetal rats in rhEPO treated groups decreased (P < 0.05), the number of apoptosis cells also decreased obviously (P < 0.01). The anti-apoptosis effect of 5000 U/kg rhEPO was similar to 7500 U/kg rhEPO, but better than 2500 U/kg rhEPO (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  rhEPO can inhibit the apoptosis of fetal rat brain cells after intrauterine hypoxic-ischemic injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, West China Sencond Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Shan
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Xue-Mei
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D000068817:Epoetin Alfa; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D015427:Reperfusion Injury
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004921:Erythropoietin; D000068817:Epoetin Alfa; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3