title: [Protection effect of recombiant human erythropoietin preconditioning against intrauterine hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and its influence on expression of caspase-3 protein in brain tissue].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of recombine human erythropoietin (rhEPO) on neural cells apoptosis and the expression of Caspase-3 protein in brain tissue of fetal rats after intrauterine hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-four Sprague-Dawley rats on 19 days of pregnancy were divided into rhEPO treated group, ischemia-reperfusion group and sham-operated group. Intrauterine hypoxic-ischemic injury of fetal rats was induced by bilateral occlusion of the utero-ovarian artery for 20 min. rhEPO (5000 U/kg) was injected into rats through caudal vein in rhEPO treated group while saline was injected into rats in hypoxic-ischemic group 30 min before hypoxic-ischemic injury. The brain samples in rhEPO treated group and hypoxic-ischemic group were obtained at 30 min, 3 h, 6 h, 24 h and 48 h respectively after artery clamping. There was no hypoxic-ischemic injury in sham-operated group, so the brain samples were obtained at 24 hours after sham operation. Neuroapoptosis in brain tissue was measured by TdT mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (Tunel) staining. The expression of Caspase-3 protein was observed by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of apoptosis cells in fetal rat hippocampus after intrauterine hypoxic-ischemic increased progressively with reperfusion. Compared with the I/R group, the number of apoptosis cells decreased in rhEPO treated group (P < 0.01). The expression of Caspase-3 increased rapidly after 3 hours from the reperfusion in the I/R group. Compared with the I/R group, there was less expression of Caspase-3 in rhEPO treated group (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  rhEPO showed the effects to inhibit the apoptosis of fetal neural cells and the expression of Caspase-3 protein due to intrauterine hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, West China Sencond Hospital, Sichuan University, Chendu 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; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005311:Fetal Hypoxia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019194:Ischemic Preconditioning / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: C554270:EPO protein, human; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004921:Erythropoietin; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3