Previous studies have shown that 5-hydroxymethylfurfural,a compound extracted from wineprocessed Fructus corni,has a protective effect on hippocampal neurons.The present study was designed to explore the related mechanisms.Our study revealed that high and medium doses(10,1μmol/L)of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural could improve the morphology of H2O2-treated rat hippocampal neurons as revealed by inverted phase-contrast microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.MTT results showed that incubation with high and medium doses of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural caused a significant increase in the viability of neuronal cells injured by H2O2.Flow cytometry assays confirmed that H2O2could induce cell apoptosis,while high and medium doses of5-hydroxymethylfurfural had a visible protective effect on apoptotic rat hippocampal neurons.Real-time PCR and western blot analysis showed that high and medium doses of5-hydroxymethylfurfural prevented H2O2-induced up-regulation of p53,Bax and caspase-3 and antagonized the down-regulation of Bcl-2 induced by H2O2treatment.These results suggested that5-hydroxymethylfurfural could inhibit apoptosis of cultured rat hippocampal neurons injured by H2O2via increase in Bcl-2 levels and decrease in p53,Bax and caspase-3 protein expression levels. Previous studies have shown that 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, a compound extracted from wine processed Fructus corni, has a protective effect on hippocampal neurons. The present study was designed to explore the related mechanisms. Our study revealed that high and medium doses (10,1 μmol / L ) of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural could improve the morphology of H2O2-treated rat hippocampal neurons as revealed by inverted phase-contrast microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. MTT results showed that incubation with high and medium doses of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural caused a significant increase in the viability of neuronal cells injured by H2O2. Flow cytometry assays that H2O2could induce cell apoptosis, while high and medium doses of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural had a visible protective effect on apoptotic rat hippocampal neurons. Real-time PCR and western blot analysis showed that high and medium doses of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural prevented H2O2-induced up-regulation of p53, Bax and caspase-3 and antagoni zed the down-regulation of Bcl-2 induced by H2O2treatment.These results suggested that 5-hydroxymethylfurfural could inhibit apoptosis of cultured rat hippocampal neurons injured by H2O2via increase in Bcl-2 levels and decrease in p53, Bax and caspase-3 protein expression levels.