title: [Protective effect of lycium barbarum polysaccharides against heat stress-induced germ cell apoptosis in rats and its mechanism].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the protective effect of lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) against heat stress-induced apoptosis of germ cells in rats and its action mechanism.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups of 18 each: control, heat stress (HS), high-dose LBP, median-dose LBP and low-dose LBP. The rats of the three LBP groups were given LBP by intragastric administration at 100 mg/(kg x d), 50 mg/(kg x d) and 10 mg/(kg x d) respectively for 14 days, and on the 15th day they, together with those of the HS group, were exposed to a heat of 43 degrees C for 30 minutes. At 24 h, 48 h and 7 d after heat stress, the animals were killed by cervical dislocation, followed by observation of the apoptotic germ cells by TUNEL, determination of the expression of Caspase-3 by immunohistochemistry and detection of cytochrome C in the cytosol by ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the HS group, the three LBP groups showed statistically significant decreases in the apoptosis index (P<0.05), the expression level of Caspase-3 in germ cells (P<0.05) and the concentration of cytochrome C in the cytosol (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LBP can inhibit cytochrome C release from mitochondria, decrease the expression of Caspase-3 and hence reduce the apoptosis of germ cells. It thus can be deduced that LBP can protect germ cells against apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Histology and Embryology, Guangdong Medical College, Zhanjiang, Guangdong 524023, China. qiu97211@163.com
authors.forename: Qiu-hui
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Chang-xin
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Zhi-min
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Liao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D045304:Cytochromes c / Q000378:metabolism; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C500223:lycium barbarum polysaccharide; D045304:Cytochromes c; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3