title: Signal transduction pathway of nitric oxide inducing PC12 cell death.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study signal transduction pathway of nitric oxide inducing death of PC12 cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cell survival rate was measured with MTT assay, and caspase-3 activity with caspase-3 assay kits after PC12 cells were incubated with sodium nitroprusside (SNP), caspase-3 inhibitor II plus SNP or p38 inhibitor-SB203580 plus SNP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SNP induced death of PC12 cells in dose- and time-dependent manner and enhanced caspase-3 activity gradually. Both caspase-3 inhibitor II and SB203580 reduced cell death, but SB203580 reduced caspase-3 activity significantly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NO may induce death of PC12 cells through activation of p38 and caspase-3.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Zhujiang Hospital, First Military Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, China.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology*; D016716:PC12 Cells; D051381:Rats; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide