title: [Effects of Shenfu injection on calreticulin expression and neuronal apoptosis in the cerebral cortex of neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the expression of calreticulin (CRT) and the changes of intracellular free calcium and neuronal apoptosis in the cerebral cortex of neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD), and to investigate the intervention effects of Shenfu injection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven-day-old rats were randomly assigned to three groups: control, hypoxic-ischemia (HI) and Shenfu-treated. Each group (n=50) was subdivided into 5 groups sacrificed at 3, 6, 12, 24 and 72 hours. Rat models of HIBD were prepared according to the Rice's method. Rats in the control group only underwent the separation of right common carotidartery. Shenfu injection was administered by intraperitoneal injections right after HI insults and then once daily at a dosage of 10 mL/kg for 3 days in the Shenfu-treated group. The expression of CRT in the cerebral cortex was detected by RT-PCR and Western blot. The free calcium concentrations were determined under a fluorescent microscope. The apoptosis rate was measured by the flow cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the control group, the expression levels of CRT in the HI and the Shenfu-treated groups were obviously up-regulated (P<0.05), and the expression levels of CRT in the Shenfu-treated group were notably higher than those in the HI group (P<0.05) at all time points. The concentrations of intracellular free calcium and the apoptosis rate of neurons in the cerebral cortex in the Shenfu-treated group were significantly reduced compared with those in the HI group (P<0.05), but increased significantly compared with those in the control group at all time points (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Shenfu injection may have neuroprotective effects against HIBD by up-regulation of CRT expression and relief of calcium overload.
authors: Department of Neonatology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China. snakewzh@sina.com.
authors: Wen-Qiang
authors: WQ
authors: Liu
authors: Yan
authors: Y
authors: Xu
authors: Ai-Min
authors: AM
authors: Han
authors: Qian-Qian
authors: QQ
authors: Yang
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D037282:Calreticulin / Q000032:analysis*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007267:Injections; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D037282:Calreticulin; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C492793:Shen-Fu; D002118:Calcium