Background. Premature infants are exposed to numerous stressors in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) during a crucial period for brain development; this period exerts long-term influences on cognitive and behavioral development. Aims. To evaluate the effect of NICU-related stress on neonatal rat pups and explore the effect of Chinese medicine treatment (CMT). Methods. Sixty male rat pups were randomly assigned to three groups: the control group, the NICU group (NICU-related stress), and the CMT group (NICU-related stress plus CMT). All stressors and interventions were administered from 0 to 7 days after birth. Body weight, serum corticosterone levels, and behavior in the open field (OF) test, elevated plus maze (EPM) test, sucrose preference test, and Morris water maze (MWM) test were recorded, and blood samples were collected at five different time points (T0, T1, T2, T3, and T4). Results. The body weights of rats in the CMT and control groups were heavier than those in the NICU group in both early life and adulthood (). Serum corticosterone levels significantly differed with time (except T0 vs. T1 and T3 vs. T4) but did not significantly differ among the three groups (, ). Regardless of age, spatial memory and anxiety-like and depression-like behavior did not differ among the three groups. Conclusion. NICU-related stress exerted a long-term effect on rat growth and development but did not affect spatial memory, anxiety-like behavior, depression-like behavior, or serum corticosterone levels. CMT alleviated the impact of NICU-related stress on rats and promoted the growth and development of neonatal rats.

中文翻译：

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缓解新生儿重症监护病房应激：针对新生大鼠的中医疗法

背景。早产儿在新生儿重症监护病房（NICU）中，在大脑发育的关键时期面临着众多的压力源；这一时期对认知和行为发展产生长期影响。目标。评价NICU相关应激对新生大鼠仔鼠的影响，探讨中医药治疗（CMT）的效果。方法。60 只雄性大鼠幼仔被随机分为三组：对照组、NICU 组（NICU 相关应激）和 CMT 组（NICU 相关应激加 CMT）。所有压力源和干预措施均在出生后 0 至 7 天进行。记录体重、血清皮质酮水平以及旷场（OF）试验、高架十字迷宫（EPM）试验、蔗糖偏好试验和莫里斯水迷宫（MWM）试验中的行为，并在5个不同时间采集血样点（T0、T1、T2、T3 和 T4）。结果。CMT组和对照组大鼠的体重在生命早期和成年期均重于NICU组（）。血清皮质酮水平随时间显着差异（T0 与 T1 和 T3 与 T4 除外），但三组之间没有显着差异（, ）。无论年龄大小，空间记忆以及焦虑和抑郁样行为在三组之间没有差异。结论。NICU相关应激对大鼠的生长和发育产生长期影响，但不影响空间记忆、焦虑样行为、抑郁样行为或血清皮质酮水平。CMT减轻了NICU相关应激对大鼠的影响，促进了新生大鼠的生长发育。