Study on effect of Naloxone on apoptosis of neuron and expression of Bcl-2 Bax gene after severe brain injury

Objective To discuss the effect and possible mechanism of naloxone on apoptosis of neuron and expression of Bcl-2 Bax gene after severe brain injury. Methods Severe brain injury rats were treated with naloxone. TUNEL(terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling)and immunohistochemisty were used to detect apoptosis and Bcl-2?Bax expression in all the brain tissue. Results The number of TUNEL positive cells in treated group is less than that of control group. There were no significant differences between two groups with Bcl-2 positive cells. While the Bax positive cells in 3d, 5d groups of treated group were obviously less than the controls. Conclusion Naloxone maybe reduce the apoptosis of neuron after brain injury through the inhibiting express of Bax. But its detailed mechanism is still in need for further research.