Teratogen-induced apoptosis may be affected by immunopotentiation

Intra-uterine immunization of mice with paternal allogeneic or xenogeneic (rat) splenocytes was found to increase embryo tolerance to cyclophosphamide (CP)-induced teratogenesis. As the CP-induced teratogenic effect was shown to be associated with apoptosis, the present study was designed to investigate whether the protective effect of immunopotentiation may be realized via an alteration of CP-induced apoptosis. Various doses of CP were injected intraperitoneally into ICR mice on day 12 of pregnancy. Intra-uterine immunization with xenogeneic rat splenocytes was carried out 3 weeks before mating. Implantation sites, resorptions, live and dead fetuses, as well as soft tissue anomalies and external malformations, were recorded to evaluate the CP-induced embryotoxic effect. In parallel, flow cytometric analysis and DNA fragmentation assay were used for evaluation of CP-induced apoptosis in limbs, tail and whole embryos. The treatment of mothers with a high dose of CP induced the death of almost all embryos and striking fetal growth retardation in survivors. This strong embryotoxic effect was accompanied by very prominent DNA degradation in cells collected from whole embryos. Immunostimulation caused a dramatic decrease of embryonal loss (by ˜ 50%) and a significant (about 30%) increase in fetal weight. Such an increase in fetal survival and in fetal weight was found to be accompanied by a clear decrease in apoptosis level in embryo cell populations as judged by DNA gel electrophoresis with subsequent quantitation of DNA fragmentation in negatives by an image analysis technique. After treatment with a low dose of CP, a decrease in the proportion of fetuses with limb and tail anomalies in immunized females was accompanied by a decrease in the proportion of apoptotic nuclei in cells taken from limbs and tails. The results of this study suggest that the teratogen-induced apoptosis may, at least partly, be dependent on fetomaternal immune interactions.     

凋亡诱导因子在实验性脑卒中后高温状态下的表达

目的探讨caspase非依赖途径在卒中后高温的神经元损伤环节中是否发挥重要作用。方法应用SD大鼠局灶性脑缺血模型,分别设立缺血后高温、缺血后正常温度和假手术组,每组8只。观察动物行为学评分、梗死体积和凋亡诱导因子(AIF)在海马的表达。利用PC12细胞培养缺氧及高温处理后,观察荧光双染AIF在细胞内的表达变化,及流式细胞仪技术检测细胞凋亡水平。结果缺血后高温组的行为学评分和梗死体积明显增加,AIF表达增高。PC12缺氧及高温培养后AIF从30min开始在胞核内表达,且随时间延长逐渐增多,细胞凋亡率随时间延长和温度增高而增加,且不被caspase广谱抑制剂所抑制。结论AIF在卒中后高温的过程中发生由胞浆到胞核的转移,caspase非依赖途径由此发挥重要作用。     

银杏叶提取物对宫内缺氧新生大鼠神经细胞凋亡的保护效应

目的 探讨银杏叶提取物(EGb)对宫内缺氧新生大鼠急性脑缺血损伤的保护作用。方法 夹闭妊娠大鼠子宫血管，制成急性脑缺血损伤新生鼠模型，治疗组给予腹腔注射EGb，在生后不同时间比较两组仔鼠脑组织含水量、NO的变化,神经型一氧化氮合酶(nNOS)的表达及神经细胞凋亡情况变化。结果 急性脑缺血后，脑组织含水量明显增加，NO的含量迅速上升，同时凋亡细胞数增加，两者成直线正相关。EGb治疗后NO含量显著低于未治疗组，同时观察到治疗组的nNOS表达明显降低，凋亡细胞数量减少。结论EGb对急性缺血引起的脑损伤有保护作用。     

Neurotoxic effects of MDMA (“ecstasy”) administration to neonatal rats

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine damages fine serotonergic fibers and nerve terminals in adult organisms. Developing animals seem to be less susceptible to this effect, possibly due to a lack of drug-induced hyperthermia. We tested this hypothesis by producing hyperthermia in neonatal rats for 2 h after each of twice-daily MDMA (10 mg/kg s.c.) or saline injections administered from postnatal days 1–4. Other drug-treated and control litters were maintained at normothermic temperatures following injection. Changes in forebrain serotonergic innervation were assessed at postnatal day 25 (serotonin transporter binding and serotonin levels), postnatal day 60 (serotonin transporter binding), and 9 months of age (serotonin transporter immunohistochemistry). We also determined the influence of MDMA treatment on apoptotic activity by means of immunohistochemistry for cleaved caspase-3 at postnatal day 5. The hippocampus showed significant MDMA-related reductions in serotonergic markers at postnatal day 25 and postnatal day 60. At 9 months, there was no effect of prior MDMA exposure on serotonin transporter-immunoreactive fiber density in the hippocampus; however, significant reductions in fiber density were observed in two neocortical areas and a hyperinnervation was found in the caudate-putamen and nucleus accumbens shell. MDMA treatment also produced a two-fold increase in the number of cleaved caspase-3-immunoreactive cells in the rostral forebrain and hippocampus. All of these effects were completely independent of pup body temperature. These findings demonstrate that neonatal MDMA administration exposure stimulates apoptotic cell death in various forebrain areas and also leads to a long-term reorganization of the forebrain serotonergic innervation. Consequently, offspring of MDMA-using women may be at heightened risk for abnormal neural and behavioral development.     

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) function in T cells: implications for organ transplantation

P-glycoprotein (P-gp), a member of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette (ABC) family of transporter molecules, is responsible for maintaining low intracellular concentrations of a variety of extracellular compounds and xenobiotics, and for transport of various intracellular molecules. Many drugs are P-gp substrates and intracellular concentrations of these agents may be critical for drug action. Experience in oncology indicates that repeated exposure to P-gp substrate cytotoxic drugs leads to the selection of drug-resistant tumor cells that overexpress P-gp. Since immunosuppressive agents such as cyclosporine, tacrolimus, sirolimus and corticosteroids are substrates for P-gp and since T-cells also express P-gp, it is conceivable that an analogous mechanism exits for therapy-resistant graft rejection. As will be discussed in this article, P-gp may interfere with the response to immunosuppressive therapy through several distinct mechanisms, and as such may represent an attractive therapeutic target.     

FasL的表达在结直肠癌免疫逃逸中的意义

目的研究结直肠癌中Fas配体（FasL）的表达及其在结直肠癌免疫逃逸中的意义。方法采用免疫组织化学染色法，检测80例结直肠癌组织中FasL表达及肿瘤浸润淋巴细胞（TIL）的数量。应用原位杂交法，检测80例结直肠癌组织连续切片的FasL的。RNA的表达。采用脱氧核糖核酸末端转移酶介导的缺口末端标记技术（TUNEL），对80例结直肠癌组织中凋亡的TIL及肿瘤细胞进行观察。结果80例结直肠癌组织FasL表达程度不等，不论是在同一组织切片不同部位或两组织切片间相比，FasL表达程度和范围都不均匀。FasL的mRNA的表达部位与FasL蛋白的表达部位相对应。FasL表达程度高的组织的TIL计数低于FasL表达低的组织（P〈0．05），同时其TIL凋亡指数高于FasL表达低的组织，而结直肠癌细胞的凋亡指数低于FasL表达程度低的组织（P〈0．01），TIL凋亡指数与胃癌细胞的凋亡指数呈负相关（r=-0．631，P〈0．01）。结论全占直肠癌细胞可通过表达FasL，诱导TIL发生凋亡，反击机体免疫系统，这可能是结直肠癌免疫逃避的重要机制之一。     

Endothelial Apoptosis and Chronic Transplant Vasculopathy: Recent Results, Novel Mechanisms

Chronic transplant vasculopathy (CTV) is a progressive form of vascular obliteration affecting the arteries, arterioles and capillaries of solid organ transplants. It is characterized by intimal accumulation of mononuclear cells, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), myofibroblasts and connective tissue. Mounting evidence, based on animal models and human biopsy results, suggests that acute and persistent rejection triggering apoptosis of endothelial cells (EC) plays a pivotal role in CTV. The precise mechanisms that underlie the induction of fibroproliferative changes in association with endothelial apoptosis have yet to be clearly delineated. Recent observations in the field of apoptosis research provide some important mechanistic clues. First, endothelial apoptosis creates a state of hyperadhesiveness for mononuclear cells, thus facilitating sustained leukocyte infiltration. Second, phosphatidylserine-dependent engulfment of apoptotic cells by infiltrating mononuclear leukocytes promotes transforming growth factor-beta1 production. Third, apoptosis of EC triggers extracellular matrix (ECM) proteolysis thus initiating the production of fibroproliferative/fibrogenic ECM fragments. The relative importance of these mechanisms in the pathophysiology of CTV will need to be addressed in vivo. Yet, these recent developments provide a new mechanistic framework that will help better define the importance of immune-mediated EC apoptosis in the regulation of vascular repair.     

葡萄糖转运蛋白在丁酸钠诱导结肠癌细胞凋亡中的作用

目的观察丁酸钠对结肠肿瘤细胞HT-29葡萄糖转运蛋白(GLUT1～GLUT5)表达的影响以及丁酸钠和不同浓度葡萄糖对bax和bcl-x/l表达的影响,探讨丁酸钠诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡的可能机制。方法2005年4月至12月在武汉大学人民医院应用逆转录-聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)检测GLUT1～GLUT5mRNA的表达情况。免疫细胞化学法检测bax和bcl-x/l的表达。原位切口末端标记法(Tunel)检测细胞凋亡。结果丁酸钠明显抑制GLUT1和bcl-x/l表达并诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡,但对GLUT2、GLUT3、GLUT5和bax表达影响不大,GLUT4则未被检测出。丁酸钠干预条件下,葡萄糖浓度增加可以明显增加bcl-x/l的表达并降低丁酸钠诱导的细胞凋亡。无丁酸钠干预条件下,葡萄糖浓度变化对细胞凋亡影响很小。结论在HT-29细胞中,丁酸钠能明显降低GLUT1的表达。降低GLUT1的表达与丁酸钠诱导细胞凋亡作用密切相关。     

白藜芦醇抑制胶质瘤细胞生长与诱导细胞凋亡实验研究

目的探讨白藜芦醇(Res)对脑胶质瘤细胞(C6细胞株)和正常成纤维细胞(3T3细胞株)体外增殖的影响,进而观察Res诱导C6和3T3细胞系的凋亡作用.方法用不同浓度的Res处理C6和3T3细胞,以四甲基偶氮唑蓝(MTT)比色法检测Res对C6和3T3细胞的增殖作用,通过HE染色、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、原位末端标记法(TUNEL)和流式细胞仪Annexin Ⅴ荧光染色,观察细胞的形态学结构改变,并定量检测细胞凋亡.结果 Res抑制了C6细胞的生长与增殖( P < 0.01 ),呈浓度依赖性反应;Res能明显诱导C6细胞凋亡,经210 μmol/L、120 μmol/L Res处理24 h后及对照组的C6细胞,其凋亡率分别为29.7%、14.6%及2.1%;相应的3T3细胞凋亡率分别为4.3%、3.5%、2.6%. 结论 Res能通过诱导C6细胞凋亡而抑制其生长与增殖,但对3T3细胞无此作用.本研究为临床应用Res治疗脑胶质细胞瘤提供了实验依据.     

吡咯烷二硫氨基甲酸酯对大鼠重症急性胰腺炎的影响

目的　探讨核转录因子 (NF κB)抑制剂吡咯烷二硫氨基甲酸酯 (PDTC)对大鼠重症急性胰腺炎 (SAP)的影响。方法　将 3 6只Wistar大鼠随机分组 :假手术组 (n =6) ,假手术 静脉注射组 (n =6) ,SAP组 (n =12 )和试验组 (n =12 )。各组于造模 6h后 ,测定血清淀粉酶及脂肪酶含量 ,取胰腺组织进行病理学评分 ,采用免疫组织化学法检测NF κB激活水平及胰腺细胞凋亡情况。结果　SAP组和试验组的胰腺细胞内NF κB呈激活状态 ,存在胰腺细胞凋亡 ,与前两组差异有显著性 (P <0 .0 1) ,试验组大鼠的胰腺组织病理学评分、血清淀粉酶及脂肪酶含量、NF κB激活及细胞凋亡水平与SAP组差异存在显著性 (P <0 .0 5 )。结论　在SAP发病机制中 ,NF κB是多种炎症介质的始动因子 ,PDTC可以有效抑制胰腺细胞中NF κB的激活 ,促进胰腺细胞凋亡 ,减少胰酶释放 ,减轻胰腺组织的病理损害。