The expression of bFGF and VEGF in rat hippocampal following brain injury

Objective To study the expression and relationship of bFGF and VEGF in hippocampal CAl sectors at different time in a rat model of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to investigate the pathogenic mechanism of brain injury molecularly. Methods Impact-acceleration injury was produced in Wistar rats by the method described by Marmarou with some modificatioa Paraffin-embedded coronal sections of hippocampal CAl in these rats were analyzed immunohistochemically for bFGF and VEGF. Results The expression of bFGF mRNA began to increase 6 h after injury and rose to the climax in 12 h and 24 h after injury respectively for bFGF and VEGF which returned to baseline in 24 h. Conclusion These findings show a close relationship between bFGF or VEGF gene expression and the degree of brain injury. bFGF and VEGF, as growth factors, have a significant protective effect against brain injury following traumatic brain injury.