The Effect of Recombinant Stromal Cell-Derived Factor-1 Treatment on Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury in Neonatal Mice

Background Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) plays a critical role in adult brain injury repair including neurogenesis and vasculogenesis. However, the effects of recombinant SDF-1(rSDF-1) treatment on hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury in neonatal mice are not clear. Materials and Methods Seven-day-old (P7) C57BL/6J mice were divided into sham group, control group, and rSDF-1 group. Mice brains were collected to determine histopathological damage and the expression level of SDF-1, caspase-3, and Ki67 on P8, P10, P14, and P21. Passive avoidance and elevated plus-maze tests were also assessed on P20 and P21. Results Compared with control group, rSDF-1 treatment increased the weight ratio of left and right brain hemisphere (p < 0.05), reduced the number of electric foot shocks (p < 0.05) and the percentage of time spent in the open arms (p < 0.05), meanwhile, increased the retention latency (p < 0.05) and the percentage of time spent in the enclosed arms (p < 0.05) on P20 and P21. High expression of Ki67 and low expression of caspase-3 were also observed. Discussion This study showed that rSDF-1 treatment effectively alleviated brain injury shown by reducing in caspase-3 expression and increasing in Ki67 expression. Moreover, rSDF-1 treatment significantly improved behavioral performances in juvenile mice after HI.