The role of 8-OH-DPAT on the rat neuronal apoptosis after diffuse brain injury coupled with secondary brain injury

Author： Li Bin Song Zhenquan Liang Guobiao Lei Wei Wang Zhijun Liu Enzhi Li Xiaoming Liu Hongbo

ISSN： 0031-7144

Source： Die Pharmazie - An International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vol.70, Iss.4, 2015-04, pp. : 251-255

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Abstract

The potential role of 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) on rat neuronal apoptosis after diffuse brain injury (DBI) coupled with secondary brain injury (SBI) was investigated. One hundred and twelve adult male Wister rats weighing 305-355 g were randomly divided into four groups and received an intraperitoneal injection of 8-OH-DPAT (0.5 mg/kg) or an equal volume of normal saline. Neurological severity score (NSS) was recorded and the injured extent was observed after hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The neuronal cell apoptosis index and the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 were detected by TUNEL method and immunohistochemistry respectively. We found a higher NSS value for rats in the DBI + SBI groups compared with those in normal control and sham-operated control groups (P < 0.01). HE staining showed that 8-OH-DPAT treatment could alleviate the occurrence of injury in rats CA3 hippocampus and PFC. The neuronal apoptosis index decreased in the 8-OH-DPAT treatment group compared with the NS group (P < 0.05) and gradually increased at 6 h, reached the peak level at 72 h and still had a high performance at 168 h in not only CA3 hippocampus but also PFC. Expression of Bax and Bcl-2 increased after DBI + SBI, however, with 8-OH-DPAT treatment Bcl-2 expression increased while Bax expression decreased. 8-OH-DPAT had an inhibitory effect on the rat neuronal apoptosis in CA3 hippocampus and PFC after DBI coupled with SBI.