[Effect on apoptosis of anterior pituitary induced by cadmium chloride and its relations with p38 MAPK & ERK1/2 passway].
OBJECTIVE
To study the effects of cadmium chloride on anterior pituitary and the relation between p38 MAPK & ERK1/2 pathway and apoptosis induced by cadmium chloride.


METHODS
In vivo studies, SD male rats were administered with CdCl2 at the doses of 0, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 mg/kg bw by gavage for 6 weeks. In vitro studies, rats' anterior pituitary cells were primarily cultured and then treated with CdCl2 at doses of 0, 1.56, 3.12, 6.25, 12.50, 25.00, 50.00, 100.00 micromol/L for 6 hours. Inhabiting study, cells were incubated with SB203580 (2.65 micromol/L) or U0126 (10 micromol/L) respectively for 2 hours and then treated with CdCl2 at doses of 3.12, 100.00 micromol/L for 6 hours. The indices in above experiments included expression of TUNEL-positive cells, rate of apoptosis by Flow cytometry.


RESULTS
The results showed that the apoptosis induced by CdCl2 inclined to enhance with dose dependent manner, Further more, U0126 and SB203580, the specific inhibitor of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK respectively, could decrease the expression of TUNEL-positive cells significantly and lower apoptotic rate of primary cultured anterior pituitary cells.


CONCLUSIONS
It was suggested that cadmium induce apoptosis of anterior pituitary both in vivo and in vitro in dose-dependent manner, ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK passways might play a role during above processes.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510300, China.
Xing-fen
XF
Yang
Wei
W
Zhu
Qing
Q
Wei
Zhong-ning
ZN
Lin
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002070:Butadienes / Q000494:pharmacology; D019256:Cadmium Chloride / Q000633:toxicity*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D009570:Nitriles / Q000494:pharmacology; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D011725:Pyridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*
D002070:Butadienes; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D007093:Imidazoles; D009570:Nitriles; D011725:Pyridines; C113580:U 0126; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D019256:Cadmium Chloride; C093642:SB 203580