Nestin expression protein in neonatal rat brain after hypoxic ischemic brain damage

Objective To study the expression of nestin in the brain of neonatal SD rat after hypoxic ischemic brain damage (HIBD). Methods The HIBD model was established with 7 day old SD rats. Expression of nestin was examined at 0、3、12、 24h,3、7 and 14d of age with immunohistochemical staining and image quantitative analysis. Results In sham operation group, Nestin expressed weakly in the hippocampus and extraventricular zone, and it didn't express in the cortex. The number of nestin positive cell increased in the rat brain after HIBD compared with the sham operation group (P0.05), except at 0h, 3h and 14d in cortext, 3h, 12h and 14d in hippocampus and extraventricular zone after HIBD. Nestin expression reached peak level at 7d, 88.5±3.5 in cortex, 100.7±8.1 in hippocampus, 96.8±5.8 in extraventricular zone, and it returned to normal level at 14d after HIBD. Conclusions The expression of nestin inneonatal rats brain increases after HIBD. This may be the results of the reaction of astrocytes and the proliferation of neural stem cells after HIBD.