To investigate whether growth hormone (GH) has a protective effect on neurons in hippocampal slice cultures of neonatal rats exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD).

Cultured hippocampal slices of 7-day-old rats were exposed to OGD for 60 min. Then, the slices were immediately treated with three doses of GH (5, 50, or 500 µM) in media. The relative fluorescent densities of propidium iodide (PI) uptake in the slices and relative lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities in the media were determined and compared between each GH-treated group of slices and untreated slices (control) at 12 and 24 h after OGD. Immunofluorescent staining for caspase-3 and TUNEL staining were performed to observe the effect of GH on apoptotic neuronal death.

The relative fluorescent densities of PI uptake in CA1 and dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampal slices in each GH-treated group were not significantly different from those in the untreated slices at 12 and 24 h after OGD ( P >0.05). Treatment with GH could reduce the relative LDH activities in the media of the GH-treated groups only at 12 h after OGD ( P <0.05). Expression of caspase-3 and TUNEL positivity in CA1 and DG of the slices treated with 50-ìM GH were not different from those of the untreated slices at 12 and 24 h after OGD.

Treatment of hippocampal slice cultures with GH after OGD does not show a definitive protective effect on neuronal death but can reduce the LDH efflux of the slices in media at 12 h after OGD.