The Effect of N-acetylcysteine on ICAM-1 Expression and Apoptosis in Neonatal Rats Brain after Hypoxic and Ischemic Brain Damage

Objective To explore the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1) expression and apoptosis in neonatal rats brain after hypoxic and ischemic brain damage (HIBD). Methods Ninety 7-day old SD rats were divided into sham operative group, HIBD group and NAC treatment group, each group containing 30 animals. ICAM-1 expression and the apoptotic rate of brain cells were measureed at 6h, 12h, 24h, 48h and 7days after model establishment by immunohistochemistry and TUNEL, respectively. Results Compared with sham operative group and NAC treatment group, the number of ICAM-1 expression cells and apoptotic cells in the brain tissue significantly increased in HIBD group. Conclusion NAC could inhibit ICAM-1 expression and cell apoptosis in the brain with HIBD, and had the preventive effect on hypoxic and ischemic brain damage in neonatal rats.