Failure of basic fibroblast growth factor to prevent postischemic neuronal damage in the rat

It has been reported that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) can increase neuronal survival and neurite extension, and that it further antagonizes the excitotoxicity of glutamate in in vitro hippocampal neurons. We examined the effects of bFGF on neuronal damage after transient forebrain ischemia. Rats were subjected to 20 min of cerebral ischemia in a four vessel occlusion model. Thirty minutes before induction of ischemia, bFGF (0.3-300 nM) or bFGF (300 nM) with heparin was applied to the hippocampal CA1 subfield. Morphological changes in the CA1 subfield were evaluated 7 days after ischemia and compared with those in the vehicle-injected group. A single injection of bFGF did not prevent postischemic neuronal damage in the hippocampal CA1, but these results do not rule out an effect of bFGF on neuronal damage after ischemia.