Effects of UTI on oxidative stress damage in rabbit brain tissues after cardiopulmonary resuscitation

AIM: To investigate the effects of ulinastatin (UTI) on oxidative stress damage in rabbit brain tissues after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). METHODS: The model of cardiac arrest (CA) in adult male New Zealand rabbits was established and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) in plasma 24 h after restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) were detected. In another experiment, 48 CA New Zealand rabbits were used. After ROSC, the animals were randomly divided into model group and UTI treatment group. The effects of UTI on MDA, GSH and the apoptosis of neurons in the cortex and hippocampus were observed. The effect of UTI on the expression of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) was also analyzed. RESULTS: The concentration of MDA in plasma increased rapidly after CA and peaked at 2 h after ROSC, whereas the content of GSH dropped to a lower level. UTI restrained the rise of MDA in the cortex and hippocampus and increased the level of GSH. UTI also accelerated the activation of Nrf2. In the cortex and hippocampus CA1~CA3 areas, the number of apoptotic neurons in model group was more than that in UTI group. CONCLUSION: UTI evidently increases the expression of Nrf2 in rabbit brain tissues, elevates the level of GSH and decreases the concentration of MDA to protect cortical and hippocampal neurons.