Effect of shenmai injection on the expression of hippocampal c-fos gene of rats with ischemic cerebral injury

Jiyan CHENG; Jichun HUANG; Guangyi LIU; Hong YU

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

The c-fos gene is commonly expressed in neurons,which may act as one of the signs of activities and reflection of injured neural cells.

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the expression of hippocampal c-fos gene of rats with ischemic cerebral injury and the protective role of shenmai injection at the molecular level.

DESIGN:

Randomized controlled study.

SETTING:

Department of Histology and Embryology, Luzhou Medical College.MATERIALS The experiment was completed at the Department of Histology and Embryology, Luzhou Medical College from January to March 2002. Totally 30 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group, ischemia group and treatment group with 10 in each group.

METHODS:

Bilateral common carotid arteries of rats in the ischemia and treatment groups were splinted for 30 minutes and reperfused for 1 hour to establish models of ischemic cerebral injury. Rats in the treatment group were injected with 2 mL/kg of shenmai (constituted with hongshen, dwarf lilyturf tuber and other Chinese herbal medicines) 30 minutes before ischemia. Rats in the ischemia group were not treated with any drugs, and rats in the control group were treated with sham operation but without splinting common carotid artery and giving any drugs. Hippocampal tissue of rats was obtained to make paraffin sections. In every group, one section from each rat was taken at random. Totally 100 neurons of every group were counted. Expression of c-fos gene in hippocampal neuron was observed according to the nuclear color of neurons (+++ as dark-brown mark;++ as brown mark; + as light brown mark; - as no brown mark).MAIN OUTCOME

MEASURE:

c-fos expression of hippocampal neurons of rats in each group.

RESULTS:

Totally 30 rats entered the final analysis. Expression of c-fos gene in hippocampal neurons was significantly more in the ischemia group than that in the control group (+++ 24/visions, 7/visions, P ＜ 0.05); but that in the treatment group was less than that in the ischemia group (+++13/visions, 24/visions, P ＜ 0.05).

CONCLUSION:

Shenmai injection can reduce the expression of c-fos gene in hippocampal neurons of rats with ischemic cerebral injury, and can protect neural cells of ischemic cerebral injured tissue.