title: Participation of reactive oxygen species in PGF2alpha-induced apoptosis in rat luteal cells.
abstract: Prostaglandin F(2alpha) (PGF(2alpha)) is implicated in the process of luteal regression in many species. Treatment of rat luteal tissue with PGF(2alpha) increases the generation of reactive oxygen species. Since reactive oxygen species have been implicated in apoptosis, the present study was undertaken to determine whether reactive oxygen species play a role in the PGF(2alpha)-induced apoptosis of rat luteal cells. Rat luteal cells were loaded with 6-carboxy-2, 7'-dichlorodihydro-fluorescein (CDCFH) diacetate, di (acetomethyl ester), which can be oxidized by reactive oxygen species to yield CDCF, a fluorescent molecule, and the cells were treated with different doses of PGF(2alpha). Incubation with 100 micromol PGF(2alpha) l(-1) induced an increase in CDCF fluorescence (P < 0. 05). Treatment of cells with PGF(2alpha) for 48 h in serum-free medium induced a dose-dependent increase in cell death, and these cells exhibited the morphological characteristics typical of apoptosis, including condensed or fragmented nuclei and fragmentation of internucleosomal DNA. Pretreatment of these cells with ascorbic acid, N,N'-dimethylthiourea, or superoxide dismutase, which acts as an antioxidant or a radical scavenger, prevented the PGF(2alpha)-induced apoptosis. These results demonstrate that PGF(2alpha) produces reactive oxygen species and induces apoptosis in rat luteal cells, indicating that the reactive oxygen species may induce apoptotic cell death during luteolysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keio University, School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanigaki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kasai
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Minegishi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyakoshi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishimoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003338:Corpus Luteum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000494:pharmacology; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D003341:Luteolysis / Q000187:drug effects*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000494:pharmacology; D013890:Thiourea / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C038983:1,3-dimethylthiourea; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D013890:Thiourea; D015232:Dinoprostone; D001205:Ascorbic Acid