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.