[Relationship between apoptosis of rat hippocampus cells induced by aluminum and the copy of the bcl-2 as well as bax mRNA].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the effects of aluminum chloride (AlCl3) on the apoptosis of rat hippocampus cells and the relationship between the apoptosis and the expression of the bcl-2 as well as bax mRNA.


METHODS
40 SD rats, adult and healthy, were divided into 4 groups randomly: normal saline, Al3+ 2.5 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg. They were exposed to AlCl, by intraperitioneal injection at the dose of 0.2 ml/d for 60 days. After exposure, the apoptosis of hippocampus cells were measured by method of TUNEL. The expression of bcl-2 mRNA and bax mRNA in rats' hippocampus were measured by RT-PCR. The results were analyzed by the gelatum analyzing system.


RESULTS
The rates of apoptosis in hippocampus cells in Al3+ 5 mg/kg group and Al3+ 10 mg/kg group were significantly higher than that of controls (P < 0.05). But Al3+ 2.5 mg/kg group was not significantly higher than that of control (P > 0.05), and was significantly decreased in hippocampus cells in Al3+ 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg group compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The expression of bcl-2 mRNA was significantly decreased in every aluminum treatment group compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The expression of bax mRNA was significantly increased in every aluminum treatment group compared with the control group (P < 0.05). There was negative correlation between AI and the expression of Bcl-2 (r = -0.909, P < 0.01). There was positive correlation between Al and the expression of Bax (r = 0.871, P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Aluminum can induce apoptosis in rat hippocampus cells through the downwards regulation of bcl-2 mRNA, the upwards regulation of bax mRNA expression.
Department of Occupational Health, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001,China.
Qiao
Q
Niu
Lin-ping
LP
Wang
Yi-lan
YL
Chen
Hong-mei
HM
Zhang
D000077410:Aluminum Chloride; D017607:Aluminum Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002712:Chlorides / Q000633:toxicity*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D017607:Aluminum Compounds; C494828:Bax protein, rat; D002712:Chlorides; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D000077410:Aluminum Chloride