A Preliminary Investigation On Neuroprotective Effects And Mechanisms Of Erythropoietin In Neonatal Rats With Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Damage

Objective : To investigate the neuroprotective effects of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) and its possible mechanisms on hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) in neonatal rats.Methods: The model of HIBD was established as described by Rice. 7-day-old SD rats (n = 126) were divided randomly into sham-operated group,HIBD group and EPO group.After HI insult,rHuEPO (5000u/kg) or the same volume of 0.9% sodium chloride were injected intraperitoneally.Effects of rHuEPO on the water content of the brains,body weights,early neurobehavior and cerebral pathomorphological changes were observed.Immunohistochemical staining method and pathological picture analysis system were used to detect the expressions of Bcl-2 and P53 proteins at 24h,48h,72h after cerebral hypoxic-ischemia.Results:1. The water content of the left hemisphere after HI increased significantly compared with the right hemisphere,reached the peak at 48 hours of HI.The water content in EPO group obviously reduced compared with the HIBD group at the same time point (P< 0.01) .2. After 24 hours of HI the neurobehavior abnormal rate in EPO group decreased obviously than those in HIBD group (P<0.01) and body weights of the rats in EPO...