title: Effects of L-tetrahydropalmatine on the expressions of bcl-2 and bax in rat after acute global cerebral ischemia and reperfusion.
abstract: To investigate the effects of L-Tetrahydropalmatine (L-THP) on the expressions of bcl-2, bax and neuronal apoptosis after cerebral ischemia and reperfusion, 60 Wistars rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham-operation group (group S, n = 20), ischemic-reperfusion group treated with saline (group I, n = 20) and ischemia-reperfusion group treated with L-THP (group T, n = 20). The rat model of global cerebral ischemia and reperfusion was induced by Pulsinelli's four-vessel occlusion method. The expression of bcl-2 and bax mRNA was detected by in situ hybridization and reverse transcriptional polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The number of apoptotic neurons was examined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) method. Compared with group S, the expression of bcl-2 and bax mRNA in group I was increased significantly (P<0.01), and the number of apoptotic neurons increased either (P< 0.01). After L-THP treatment, the expression of bcl-2 mRNA was up-regulated (P< 0.01) and that of bax mRNA was down-regulated (P<0.01); the number of apoptotic neurons was decreased (P<0.01). Our results indicated that bcl-2 may suppress apoptosis and bax promote apoptosis after cerebral ischemia and reperfusion. L-THP could ameliorate cerebral ischemia and reperfusion damage by reducing the apoptosis through regulating bcl-2 and bax.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Guangtian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001600:Berberine Alkaloids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001600:Berberine Alkaloids; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C014215:tetrahydropalmatine