Expression of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor in the Brain of Epileptic Rat Induced by Lithium-pilocarpine

Objective:To study the expression of basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF) in the hippocampus of epileptic rat at different time points and to investigate the relationship between bFGF and epilepsy.Methods: Thirty-nine adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: normal control group,NS group and epilepsy model group.Lithium-pilocarpine induced seizure models were used and the expression and distribution of bFGF in the hippocampus of rats were studied by immunofluorescent labeling techniques.Results: bFGF was found in control group and NS group,but the expression was lower than in epilepsy model group(P0.05).In the model group,the expression of bFGF began to increase 6 h after epilepsy onset,reached a peak after 24 h,then declined,but it still kept at a high level after 14 days(P0.05).Double immunofluorescent labeling revealed that,in the hippocampus,bFGF immunoreactivity was mainly expressed in astrocytes,but some neurons in CA2 area also showed bFGF immunoreactivity.Conclusion: bFGF was expressed regularly in the hippocampus of acute epileptic rats and was mainly detected in astrocytes.bFGF may protect the brain injury following seizure in rats.