title: Expression of Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3 in nerve tissues of rats chronically exposed to 2,5-hexanedione.
abstract: Occupational exposure and experimental intoxication with n-hexane or its metabolite 2,5-hexanedione (HD) produce a central-peripheral neuropathy. However, the mechanism remains unknown. We hypothesized that HD affected the expression of Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3 in the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Male adult Wistar rats were administered by intraperitoneal injection at a dosage of 200 or 400 mg/kg HD, five days per week for 8 weeks. Samples of the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, spinal cord and sciatic nerves were collected and examined for Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3 expression using Western blotting. Subchronic exposure to HD resulted in significantly increased expression of both anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and pro-apoptotic protein Bax and Caspase-3 in cerebral cortex and cerebellum, which exhibited a dose-dependent pattern. Though little change was detected in spinal cord, our results showed that the expression of Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3 was markedly enhanced in the sciatic nerves. These findings suggested that the changes of apoptosis-related protein level in rat nerve tissues were associated with the intoxication of HD, which might be involved in early molecular regulatory mechanism of apoptosis in the HD-induced neuropathy.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Toxicology, Shandong University, 44 West Wenhua Road, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Shanxia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiulan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Tianliang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Cuili
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lihua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Zhengping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Keqin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000378:metabolism; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D006588:Hexanones / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D009417:Nerve Tissue / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000378:metabolism; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: C494828:Bax protein, rat; D006588:Hexanones; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C011269:2,5-hexanedione; D053148:Caspase 3