Shenfu injection attenuates neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in rat.

Perinatal hypoxia-ischemia remains the most important cause of brain injury in the newborn. However, there is still no effective cure for neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD). In the present study, we aimed to examine the neuroprotective effects of Shenfu injection (SFI) on HIBD of neonatal rat. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly into three groups (n = 8): S group: the rats were sham operated; C group: the rats were operated for HIBD modeling and received intraperitoneal injection of saline; SFI group: the rats were operated for HIBD modeling and received intraperitoneal injection of SFI (10 ml/kg days) for 7 days. Flow cytometry analysis showed that apoptosis rate of neuron in hippocampal CAI region in SFI group was significantly less than in NC group at 3 and 7 days after HI insult (P < 0.05). Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that Bcl-2 expression was markedly higher while Bax expression was significantly lower in SFI group than in the C group at 24, 72 h and 7 days after HI insult (P < 0.05). Our findings suggest that SFI exhibits neuroprotective effects for neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury by preventing neuron apoptosis and has potential to be used in the clinical for the treatment of perinatal hypoxia-ischemia.