Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of BQ-123 on the ability of learning and memory and nerve cell autophagy in hippocampus in rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Methods 72 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham group, SAH model group (SAH group) and BQ-123 group with 24 rats in each group. SAH model was established by injecting the autologous blood into cisterna magna twice. The sham group was not injected blood. BQ-123 group received intracerebroventricular injection with BQ-123 18 μg 30 minutes before modeling. 6, 24, 72 and 144 hours after modeling, the passive avoidance latency (PAL) and active avoidance reaction rate (AARR) were tested with Shutter Box Test, the nerve cell morphological changes of hippocampus were observed with HE staining, and the expressions of Beclin-1 and LC3-II were detected with immunohistochemical staining. Results Compared with the sham group, the PAL prolonged, the AARR decreased (P<0.05), the nerve cells in the hippocampus reduced (P<0.05), and the expressions of Beclin-1 and LC3-II increased (P<0.05) in SAH group. Compared with SAH group, PAL shortened (P<0.05), AARR increased (P<0.05), the nerve cells in the hippocampus increased (P<0.05), and the expressions of Beclin-1 and LC3-II increased (P<0.05) in BQ-123 group. Conclusion BQ-123 can promote the recovery of learning and memory ability, which may relate to the activation of nerve cell autophagy in the hippocampus.

Key words: subarachnoid hemorrhage, BQ-123, learning and memory, autophagy, hippocampus, rats