Rapidly raise blood sugar will aggravate brain damage after severe hypoglycemia in rats.

Hypoglycemia can cause rapid and severe brain damage. We studied the impact of hypoglycemic brain damage in the insulin-induced hypoglycemic rats. Thirty male rats were divided into normal blood sugar control group (group A), the blank group (group B), and the experimental group which was further divided into four groups according to the level of blood glucose reperfusion i.e., blood glucose ≤ 3 mmol/L (Group C), ≤ 6 mmol/L (Group D), ≤ 9 mmol/L (Group E), and >9 mmol/L (Group F). Each groups had five rats. TUNEL and FJB staining were used to observe the apoptosis and necrosis in the rat hippocampus CA1 and DG regions and transmission electron microscopy for ultra-structures. We observed that neuronal apoptosis and necrosis of group A and B were not obvious. The apoptotic and necrotic neuron cell densities in the hippocampus CA1 and DG regions were moderately detected in group C, D, and E, while we found it maximum in group F. No significant difference was found in apoptotic and necrotic neuron cell density in the hippocampus CA1 and DG regions in group A and B. Apoptotic and necrotic cell density was significantly increased in all experimental groups as compared to the control group. Moreover, the apoptotic and necrotic cell density was significantly higher in group F than other experimental groups (group C, D, and E). However, apoptosis and necrosis in hippocampus CA1 and DG regions was not differed significantly among groups C, D, and E. All results were well supported by transmission electron microscopy. In conclusion, under the condition of the same blood glucose level, the degree of brain damage related to the blood glucose level with hypoglycemia and rapid blood glucose increased after hypoglycemia could cause more significant brain damage.