Expression of BMP4 and nestin in rat hippocampus after unilateral i.c.v of Aβ

Objective To observe the neurogenesis after unilateral i.c.v.injection of Aβ and the expression of BMP4 and nestin.Methods Adult male SD rats were divided into control group and experimental group randomly.Experimental group was infused with Aβ1-42into the lateral ventricle and sacrificed 3d,7d,14d,30d after infusion.The expression of BMP4 was observed by immunohistochemistry,while nestin,Brdu and GFAP by immunofluorescence.Results The BMP4 positive cells in the experimental group appeared in hippocampus on the 3d day and reached maximal expression on the 7th day after infusion of Aβ.The nestin positive cells also appeared on the 3d day and reached maximal expression on the 14th day.The nestin positive cells were mainly horizontal cell,and some of them origin from NSCs.They both decreased gradually after the peak.There were seldom BMP4 or nestin positive cells in the control group.Conclusion The expression of nestin increases and astrocytes are activated after i.c.v.injection of Aβ,while BMP4 probablly promotes the NSCs in hippocampus differentiation towards astrocytes.