ABSTRACT
Aim To investigate the effects of heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) on brain damage due to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion.Methods 120 male mice were divided into four groups randomly and the cerebral ischemia/reperfusion(I/R) model was established through drawing out and reperfusing 40% of the whole blood volume in combination with clamping the carotid arteries for 20 min after anesthesia with 40 g?L-1chloral hydrate(400 mg?kg-1 ip).The mice were intracerebraventricularly(icv) injected with 3(l of150 ?mol?L-1 hemin,150 ?mol?L-1 ZnPPIX,or artificial cerebrospinal fluid(ACSF),respectively 16 h before the model established.Sham operation group only received anesthesia and operation without I/R and icv injection.The hippocampal HO activity and cerebral cortex xanthine oxidase(XO) activity,the levels of malonaldehyde(MDA) and reactive oxygen species(ROS),hippocampal neuron apoptosis,and hippocampal HO-1 expression were determined by spectrophotometer,TUNEL method,and Western blot,respectively.Results The increased hippocampal HO-1 expression and HO activity,decreased XO activity,MDA and ROS levels,and diminished hippocampal apoptosis were observed in the hemin group,compared with ACSF group(P0.05),but inhibited the activity of HO with the elevation of XO activity,MDA and ROS levels,as well as cellular apoptosis(vs ACSF,P