Effect Of Erythropoietin On Cognititon Of Vascular Dementia Rats

OBJECTIVE To establish an animal model of vascular dementia(VaD) and a model of hippocampi neuron primary culture in hypoxia, and to study the effect of erythropoietin on cognition of VaD. METHODS The bilateral common carotid arteries of wistar rats were permanently ligated to established VaD models. The spacial study and memory in Y-maze is observe, the morphology of brains is estimated, and the expression of ChAT , Bax , Bcl-2, MAP-2 and SYN in CA1 region of hippocampus by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR is observed; the change of Bcl-2 and Bax protein expression of hippocampi neuron primary culture in hypoxia were tested with Western- blot method . RESULTS The rats treated by erythropoeitin group had better performance in Y-maze, less neurons with serious damages, less neuron apoptosis ,lower expression of Bax and higher expression of ChAT, Bcl-2, MAP-2 and SYN in CA1 region of hippocampus than VaD group; EPO can obviously inhibit the Bax protein expression of hippocampi neuron which was cultured in hypoxia and obviouslypromote Bcl-2 protein expression and it get its maximal protective function on the density of 100 IU/ml. CONCLUSIONS Erythropoietin improved cognitive dysfunction and lessened brain damages induced by VaD. The results indicated that lower expression of Bax and higher expression of ChAT> Bcl-2> MAP-2 and SYN in CA I region of hippocampus than VaD group may play important roles in the mechanism of cognitive dysfunction improveded by erythropoietin treatment...