Objective     To study the effect of sodium ferulate (SF) on the expressions of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and inhibitory κBα (IκBα) in rat brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC) injured by hypoxia.      Methods     Brain microvascular endothelial cells from Wistar rat cerebral cortex were isolated and cultured

and then cultivated in 95%N

2

and 5% CO

2

for 12 h to induce hypoxia injury. The cells were divided into normal group

hypoxia group

and SF group. BMEC activity was assayed by MTT assay. Endothelin-1(ET-1) concentratio

n was evaluated by radioimmunoassay．The expression of NF-κB and IκBα of BMEC were assessed by immunocytochemistry.      Results     The content of ET-1 in BMEC media was increased after hypoxia

while sodium ferulate (100 μg/ml) significantly decreased the content compared with hypoxia group. Immunocytochemistry indicated IκBα expression were significantly decreased  in hypoxia BMEC in consistent with NF-κB expression.       Conclusion     Sodium ferulate may significantly reduce NF-κB of hypoxia BMEC and nuclear translocation

and increase IκBα expression and BMEC activity. It is a potent inhibitor of NF-κB in endothelial cells

which might explain its beneficial effect on injured BMEC by hypoxia.