Effect of Exogenous Nerve Growth Factor Treatment on Rats with Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Objective:To observe the therapeutic effect of exogenous nerve growth factor(NGF) on rats after intracerebral hemorrhage(ICH). Methods: Forty-eight SD rats were randomly divided into NGF group(n=24), ICH group(n=12) and sham group(n=12). ICH models were made by injecting Ⅶ collagenase into caudate nucleus of rats. Rats in NGF group were treated with NGF whereas those in ICH group received normal saline. The neurological function was evaluated, and the Nestin and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) positive cells located perihematoma were detected by immunohistochemistry at 1, 3 and 7 days after operation respectively. Results:The neurological severity score at 7 d after operation was lower than those at 1 and 3 days after operation in NGF group(P0.05). The neurological severity score of NGF group was lower than that of ICH group at 7 days after operation(P0.05). The numbers of VEGF and Nestin positive cells in NGF group were significantly higher than those in sham group(P0.01) and those in ICH group(P0.05) at 1, 3, 7 days after operation. The numbers of VEGF and Nestin positive cells at 7 days after operation was greater than those at 1 and 3 days after operation in NGF group(P0.05). Conclusion: Exogenous NGF contributes to the improvement of neural function recovery of rats after ICH, which may be mediated by activation of endogenous neural stem cells and increase of VEGF expression.