Effects of inhibition of ERK1/2 on cell apoptosis in rats with diffuse brain injury

LI Jin-xing; ZHAO Hai-mei; JIANG Xiao-bing

doi:10.13798/j.issn.1009-153X.2019.01.011

Abstract：Objective To study the effect of inhibition of extracellular signal regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) on cell apoptosis in the cerebral tissues of the rats with diffuse brain injury (DBI). Methods Two hundred and twenty-eight SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation (n=12), DBI (n=72), experimental (n=72) and control (n=72) groups. Severe rats DBI models were established by Mamarou's free falling-body method in DBI, experimental and control groups. U0126, a special inhibitor of ERK1/2, was injected respectively into the tail veins of rats immediately after DBI in the experimental and control groups. Phosphorylated ERK1/2 (pERK1/2) and caspase-3 expression in the cerebral tissues were determined respectively by Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining. The cell apoptosis rate in the cerebral tissues was detected by flow cytometry method. Results The levels of pERK1/2 expression were significantly higher in DBI and control groups than those in the experimental group (P<0.01), which were significantly higher than that in the sham operation group (P<0.01) 0.5, 3, 24, 48 and 72 hours after DBI. The levels of Caspase-3 expression in the cerebral tissues were significantly higher in DBI and control groups than those in the experimental group (P<0.05), which were significantly higher than those in the sham operation group (P<0.05) 3, 24, 48, 72 and 168 hours after DBI. The rats of cell apoptosis in the cerebral tissues were significantly higher in the DBI and control groups than those in the experimental group (P<0.05), which were significantly higher than that in the sham operation group (P<0.05) 3, 24, 48 72 and 168 hours after DBI group. Conclusion The inhibition the activation of ERK1/2 can decrease expression of Caspase-3 and cell apoptosis in the brain tissue of the rats with DBI.