title: [Effect of chronic lead exposure on expression of autophagy-associated proteins in rat hippocampus].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of chronic lead exposure on expression of autophagy-associated proteins in rat hippocampus.
  
  
  METHODS
  SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: control group was given distilled water, lead-exposed groups were given 0.5 g/L (low-dose) or 2.0 g/L(high-dose) lead acetate solution in drinking water. The rat pups started to drink the lead content water until 60 d maturity. The lead contents in blood and brain samples were analyzed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The expressions of Beclin 1, LC3, LAMP2 and cathepsin B proteins were detected by Western blot and immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with control group, the contents of lead were significantly higher in blood and hippocampus samples in chronic lead-exposed rats (P<0.01). Western blot showed that the expression of Beclin 1 and LC3-II/LC3-I increased significantly in high dose lead-exposed group compared with control group (P<0.05 or P<0.001). The confocal laser immunostaining results demonstrated that increased immunofluorescence staining of cathepsin B in hippocampal neurons compared with control animals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The disturbance of autophagy-lysosome signaling molecules might be partially contribute to neurotoxicity of chronic lead exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China.
authors.forename: Wei-feng
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Ji-yun
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Mei-hua
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Rong-rong
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Gen-sheng
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yi-jia
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D001343:Autophagy / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000071186:Beclin-1; D002401:Cathepsin B / Q000378:metabolism; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D052119:Lysosomal-Associated Membrane Protein 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D000071186:Beclin-1; D002401:Cathepsin B; D052119:Lysosomal-Associated Membrane Protein 2; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; C512829:Becn1 protein, rat; C526109:Anxa3 protein, rat; C533916:Ctsb protein, rat