Protective role of vitamin C in diazepam-induced apoptosis in rat thymocytes.
Diazepam, a peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor ligand, is widely used as a therapeutic agent. On the other hand, peripheral-type benzodiazepines have been shown to induce apoptosis in different immune cell types. In this study, we examined the possible protective role of vitamin C in diazepam-induced apoptosis and evaluated the cellular content of glutathione during this process. Rat thymocytes were incubated for 24 hours with diazepam and increasing concentrations of vitamin C or with diazepam alone. The exposure to diazepam resulted in an increase in apoptotic cell death and decrease in glutathione content in rat thymocytes. Vitamin C was effective in ameliorating the effect of diazepam in rat thymocytes by decreasing the proportion of apoptotic cells and increasing the cellular content of glutathione. These results suggest that vitamin C reduced the diazepam-induced apoptosis in rat thymocytes by restoring the cellular content of glutathione, which may be useful in preventing the diazepam-induced immunosupression (Tab. 1, Fig. 1, Ref. 31).
Medical Faculty University in Nis, Serbia. vojapav@yahoo.com
V
V
Pavlovic
D
D
Pavlovic
B
B
Kamenov
M
M
Sarac
Z
Z
Peric
M
M
Velojic
D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003975:Diazepam / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000378:metabolism; D060168:Thymocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
D000975:Antioxidants; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D005978:Glutathione; D001205:Ascorbic Acid; D003975:Diazepam