title: Hydrogen peroxide induces apoptosis in cerebral vascular smooth muscle cells: possible relation to neurodegenerative diseases and strokes.
abstract: Recently, reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been suggested as important mediators of brain damage in a number of disease states, including traumatic brain injury, neurodegenerative diseases and strokes. Apoptosis has been suggested to play an important role in neurodegenerative diseases, traumatic brain injury and strokes. The aim of this study was to determine whether or not cerebral vascular smooth muscle cells (CVSMCs) undergo apoptosis following treatment with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Herein, we demonstrate, for the first time, that H2O2 can induce apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner in primary cultured CVSMCs, as measured by several morphological and biochemical criteria. H2O2-induced apoptosis may be initiated by stimulating Ca2+-dependent endonuclease activity. The present new data suggest that apoptosis in cerebral VSMCs, induced by ROS, such as H2O2, could play important roles in neruodegenerative processes, traumatic brain injury and strokes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Health Science Center at Brooklyn, State University of New York, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
authors.forename: Jianfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wenyan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jialin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Weimin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Bella T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Altura
authors.forename: Burton M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Altura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D020552:Comet Assay; D004285:Dogs; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008297:Male; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology*; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D016877:Oxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D016877:Oxidants; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide