Objective: To study the expressions of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and nervous growth factor(NGF) genes in rat cerebral concussion.
Methods: Eighty Wistar male rats were used for animal model of cerebral concussion, which were sacrificed on 1, 3, 7, 14 and 30 days after injury and the brain tissue was taken out. The expressions of bFGF and NGF genes were studied in the course of cerebral concussion by means of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization.
Results: Rats in 100 g group were seen the clinical manifestation for typical cerebral concussion. The protein and mRNA of bFGF were increased on day 1, obtained at peak on day 3-7, decreased on day 14 and also increased on day 30 compared with controls. The positive area was seen in the plasma of neurons in cerebral cortex, hippocampus, thalamus and cerebellum. NGF protein and mRNA showed strong positive and increased in the plasma of neurons in cerebral cortex, hippocampus, thalamus and cerebellum on day 1, and they were continuously positive but gradually decreased within 30 days after injury.
Conclusion: The expression of bFGF gene participates in the course of cerebral concussion, might play an important role in the nervous cells degeneration and necrosis; NGF gene expression participates in the whole course of cerebral concussion, especially in the early phase.