|
KMID : 1129720030200010057
|
|
Korean Journal of Acupuncture
2003 Volume.20 No. 1 p.57 ~ p.64
|
|
|
Protective effects Acanthopanax senticosus extracts on ethanol-induced apoptosis in TM3 mouse Leydig cells
|
|
Kim Jong-Chul
Kim Hee-Taek
Kim Ho-Hyun
Kim E-Hwa
|
|
|
Abstract
|
|
|
Acanthopanax senticosus (AS), a member of the araliaceae family, is a herb which has been used traditionally for improving ischemic injury, rheumatism, weakened physical status, and its hypoglycemic action1-3). The protective effects of AS against rat gastric ulcer under stressful stimuli were reported by Fujikawa et al4).
Alcohol consumption induces apoptotic cell death in various types of organs including brain5), liver6), thymus7), and testis8). Alcohol has received much attention worldwide as alcohol disturbs endocrine functions and in particular, causes testicular atrophy, gonadal dysfunction, erectile dysfunction, and male infertility by triggering apoptosis in testicular germ cells in alcoholic men8,9).
Apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death, is a biological process that plays a crucial role in normal development and tissue homeostasis10). However, inappropriate cell death contributes to a variety of human disorders11). Apoptosis is characterized by morphological changes including progressive cell shrinkage with condensation, and fragmentation of nuclear chromatin and membrane blebbing12). In numerous studies, the process of apoptosis has been shown to be regulated by the expression of several proteins. Caspases, a class of cysteine proteases, are considered to be central players in the apoptotic process, and they trigger a cascade of proteolytic cleavage events in mammals. Of particular interest is caspase-3, the most widely studied member of the caspase family and one of the key executioners of apoptosis13,14). Caspase-3 in its activated form has many cellular targets which, when severed and/or activated, produce the morphologic features of apoptosis15). Leydig cells, situated in the interstitial component of the mammalian testis, are responsible for most of the testosterone produced by males16), and it has been reported that alcohol suppresses secretion of testosterone in the adult male rat17,18). In the present study, the effect of aqueous extracts of AS on EtOH-induced cytotoxicity was investigated in the TM3 mouse Leydig cells via 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and DNA fragmentation assay, and reverse transcription -polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
|
|
|
KEYWORD
|
|
|
Acanthopanax senticosus, ethanol, apoptosis, Leydig cell
|
|
|
FullTexts / Linksout information
|
|
|
|
|
|
Listed journal information
|
|
|
|