Further, the inhibitor of PI3K/Akt (LY294002) treatment suppressed the effects of VA-pro on Akt, Bax, Bcl-2, and cleaved caspase-3 expression, indicating that VA-pro protected the CMECs challenged with IH by activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Here, CASP3 is linked to isolated hemihyperplasia.