Expression of Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein and Nestin in Hippocampus of Rats with Vascular Dementia

Objective To observe the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP) and nestin in hippocampus of adult rats with vascular dementia as well as the roles of the two proteins in vascular dementia diseases.Methods SD rats were divided into sham operation and model groups.The rats in model group were narcotized,based on which the rat model of vascular dementia was established by permanent ligation of bilateral common carotid arteries(2 vessel occlusion,2VO).However,the bilateral common carotid arteries of rats in sham operation group were only separated but not ligated.The rats were killed at various time points(1,7,14,21 and 28 d) after operation,of which the brain tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin,then observed for dynamic change of neuron in hippocampus by Nissl staining,and for expressions of GFAP and Nestin by immunohistochemical staining.Results Compared with those in sham operation group,the number of pyramidal neurons in CA1 and CA3 domains of hippocampus of rats in model group 7 d after operation decreased significantly,while a large quantity of spongiocytes were proliferated.However,along with the recovery of cerebral blood flow(CBF) supply,the numbers of pyramidal neurons in model group 14,21 and 28 d after operation increased gradually,while those of spongiocytes decreased gradually.Both the expression levels of GFAP and nestin in model group increased significantly from day 1 after operation(P 0.05).The expression level of GFAP reached a peak value 7 d,while that of nestin 14 d after operation.Along with the recovery of CBF supply,the nestin 21 and 28 d after operation decreased slightly in quantity but not disappeared completely.Conclusion Dynamic expressions of GFAP and nestin were observed in hippocampus of rats with vascular dementia,indicating the potential important roles of the two proteins in vascular dementia diseases.