OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of hypoxia-ischemia (HI) on different neural cells and their survival in subventricular zone (SVZ) of human fetus in mid trimester of pregnancy and thus to explore the pathogenesis of hypoxic-ischemic brain damage on the cellular level.

METHODSAcutely dissociated SVZ cells, prepared from five fetuses of human embryos aborted voluntarily at 17 to 22 weeks of gestational age, were cultured for a short time separately under HI (HI group) and normal condition (control group). HI injury was simulated by oxygen/glucose deprivation (OGD) and the dead cells were counted by staining with Trypan blue. The injury was evaluated by the survival rate before culturing. After culturing, all of the neural cells of SVZ, including neural stem cells (NSCs), neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocyte progenitors and microglia cells were recognized separately by their special marker nestin, microtubule associated proteins 2 (MAP2), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), platelet derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRalpha) and ricinus communis agglutinin (RCA120) with immunofluorescence cytochemistry. At the same time, all cell nuclei were stained with bisbenzimide. The percentages of SVZ cells were calculated and compared between HI and control groups.

RESULTSThe survival rate of HI SVZ cells, (63.41 +/- 0.06) percent, was much lower than that of control (98.9 +/- 0.01) percent (P < 0.001). The result indicated that SVZ cells were damaged obviously by HI. After culturing shortly the highest proportion of cells in HI group was astrocytes (56.48 +/- 0.03) percent, followed by NSCs (22.47 +/- 0.03) percent, and the lowest was oligodendrocyte progenitors. But in control group, the neurons accounted for (48.81 +/- 0.03) percent and astrocytes (32.31 +/- 0.03) percent, while the lowest was microglia cells.

CONCLUSIONSThere were NSCs, neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocyte progenitors and microglial cells in SVZ of mid trimester of pregnancy. They were sensitive to HI and their survival rates were different: the NSCs and astrocytes showed higher survival rate than neurons and oligodendrocyte progenitors.