Batroxobin against anoxic damage of rat hippocampal neurons in culture: morphological changes and Hsp70 expression.

Batroxobin, the thrombin-like enzyme, is used for therapeutic defibrination. We have found that batroxobin has good therapeutic effect in ischemic reperfusion rats and clinical practices in vivo. But we have not studied the neuroprotective effect of batroxobin on anoxic hippocampal neurons in vitro. The purpose of this study was to obtain further information on the mechanism of the batroxobin-induced neuroprotection and examine the neuroprotective effect on neurons exposed to anoxia. The effect of batroxobin on anoxic damages in cultured hippocampal neurons of neonatal rats was investigated by using morphological changes and heat shock protein 70 Kd (Hsp70) immunoreactive expression as indicators. The results indicate that batroxobin, besides its defibrination, may have a direct neuroprotective effect on anoxic damage of hippocampal neurons.