title: Apoptosis induced by droloxifene and C-myc, Bax, Bcl-2 protein expression in corpus luteum of pregnant rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of droloxifene on apoptosis of luteal cells in pregnant rats, and analyze the possible relationships between the expression of C-myc, Bax, Bcl-2 protein in corpus luteum and apoptosis of luteal cells induced by droloxifene.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnant rats were treated orally with droloxifene 20 mg . kg-1 on d 2. Ovaries were collected on d 4 or d 8 for detecting the apoptosis of luteal cells by hematoxylin-eosin staining and terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick end labelling (TUNEL), and observing the expression of C-myc, Bax, Bcl-2 protein in corpus luteum by immunohistochemistry. The ovarian fresh weight, protein contents, and serum progesterone levels were also determined on d 4 and d 8.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Apoptotic luteal cells appeared on d 4 and more apoptotic cells could be observed on d 8 in droloxifene treated rats. The ovarian fresh weight, protein contents, and serum progesterone concentration were found to be decreased significantly on d 8 as compared to the control group. In corpus luteum of droloxifene treated rats, the increased expression of C-myc and Bax protein could be observed on d 4 and d 8, respectively, whereas no obvious changes could be found in the expression of Bcl-2 protein.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Droloxifene could induce apoptosis of luteal cells of preimplantation in pregnant rats. An increased expression of C-myc protein and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio could be induced by droloxifene, which might be associated with the mechanisms of apoptosis of luteal cells induced by droloxifene.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Material Medica, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China. zpgu99@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Leng
authors.forename: Z P
authors.initials: ZP
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D008184:Luteal Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
chemical_list: C494828:Bax protein, rat; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D013629:Tamoxifen; C038345:droloxifene