ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the proliferation of neural stem cells by subcutaneous injection of basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF),epidermal growth factor (EGF)or combined bFGF and EGF respectively after transient focal cerebral ischemia in rats.Methods The right middle cerebral arteries(MCA) of rats were occluded for 2 h to establish transient focal cerebral ischemia model. bFGF, EGF,combined bFGF and EGF or vehicle were administered subcutaneously at 24, 48 and 72 h after MCA occlusion(MCAO).Thereafter,one administration every 3 d. Proliferating neural stem cells were labeled with bromodeoxyuridine (Brdu) immunohistochemically. Brdu-labeled cells were calculated to characterize neural stem cells in SVZ and the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus at 7 d,14 d,21 d after MCAO.Results Brdu-labeled cells were detected in the bilateral SVZ and the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus after MCAO in each group, the number of positive cells decreased progressively. Compared with the control group, the number of Brdu-labeled cells in treatment group increased significantly after treatment( P