The effects of Naloxone on neuron apoptosis in cerebral ischemic tissue of Wistar rats after focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury

Objective: To observe the protective effect of Naloxone on the focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury models of rats. Methods: 16 Wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 groups. The cerebral ischemia-reperfusion models of Wistar rats were established by occluding middle cerebral artery (MCA) with intraluminal suture and the ischemia and after 2.5 hours reperfusion,the apoptosis was observed by TUNEL method in Naloxone-treated group and control group . Results: The apoptotic neurons were mainly located at the border zone of infarct tissue and the number of apoptotic neurons were fewer in treated group than that in ischemia group(P0.05). Conclusion: Naloxone can reduce the number of apoptotic neurons in ischemia region and protect cerebral tissue from the injury of focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in Wistar rats.