Objective To observe the effects of controlled hypotension (CH) induced by nitroglycerin or sodium nitroprusside combined with esmolol on cerebral injury in rabbits. Methods A total of 18 New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into three groups, with 6 rabbits in each group: control group, nitroglycerin+esmolol group, and sodium nitroprusside+esmolol group. In the nitroglycerin+esmolol group, hypotension was induced with an initial dose of 0.5 μg/(kg·min) nitroglycerin and 2.5 μg/(kg·min) esmolol, whereas in the sodium nitroprusside+esmolol group, hypotension was induced with an initial dose of 0.5 μg/(kg·min) sodium nitroprusside and 2.5 μg/(kg·min) esmolol, reducing femoral artery mean arterial pressure (MAP) to (70±10)% of baseline for maintaining this level for 1 hour. The control group received a continuous infusion of 20 mL/h normal saline to maintain femoral artery MAP within ±10% of baseline. Femoral artery MAP was compared between rabbits in various groups before and after CH. Serum level of S100β protein in various groups was measured by ELISA before and after CH. The neuronal apoptosis rate of rabbits in various groups in hippocampal CA1 region was evaluated by TUNEL staining, and ultrastructural changes of rabbits in various groups in hippocampal CA1 neurons were observed by transmission electron microscopy. Results After 1 hour of CH, femoral artery MAP in both the nitroglycerin+esmolol group and the sodium nitroprusside+esmolol group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05), with no statistically significant difference between the nitroglycerin+esmolol group and the sodium nitroprusside+esmolol group (P>0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in serum S100β protein level between the three groups before or after CH (P>0.05), nor between the groups at 1 hour after CH (P>0.05). After 1 hour of CH, no statistically significant difference in the neuronal apoptosis rate in hippocampal CA1 region was observed between the three groups (P>0.05), and neuronal structures remained intact with well-preserved mitochondrial cristae membranes. Conclusion Controlled hypotension induced by either nitroglycerin or sodium nitroprusside combined with esmolol can effectively reduce femoral artery MAP in rabbits without causing significant injury in cerebral tissue.