The therapeutic effect of exogenous nerve growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor on hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in neonatal rats

Objective To investigate the neuroprotective effect of exogenous basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF)and nerve growth factor(NGF) on neurological function in neonatal rat model of hypoxic-ischemic brain damage(HIBD).Methods Forty HIBD models of neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats were induced by shearing left arteria carotis communis and then being supplied with 8% O2 + 92% N2 for 20 hours.The models were randomly divided into four groups,the bFGF treatment group,the NGF treatment group,the therapeutic alliance group,and the control group,and ten rats were included in each group.The other ten neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats were used as the sham control group.The changes in the brain were observed by optical microscope and the nestin expression in hippocampal CA1 region were examined by using immunohistochemical staining and image quantitative analysis 7 days after the surgery.Results Severe or mild encephalanalosis was found in each group,especially in the control group.The numbers of nestin-positive cells in hippocampal CA1 region of the treatment groups were more than those of the sham operation group or the control group(P 0.01).Conclusions(1) The nestin expression was increased in hippocampal CA1 region of neonatal rat model of HIBD,it may be attributed to the activation of neural stem cells and the regeneration of neurocytes after HIBD.(2) Exogenous NGF or bFGF could enhance the nestin expression in the brain of neonatal rat model of HIBD,which may play an important role in restoration of neurons from hypoxia-ischemia brain damage.(3) Applying the two drugs simultaneously may enhance the protective effect on neurons in HIBD.