title: [The expression of Caspase-3 in granulosa cells of endometriosis treated with mifepristone].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of mifepristone on the expression of Caspase-3 in the granulosa cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty Sprague-Dawley (SD) female rats with (230 +/- 20) g weight were divided into four groups, low-dose group with 1.04 mg/(kg x d) of mifepristone, middle-dose group with 2.604 mg/(kg x d) of mifepristone, high dose group with 10.4 mg/(kg x d) of mifepristone, as well as blank group. Mifepristone tablets were given through gastromy in diestrus of rat for four weeks. Rats were sacrificed after the treatment, and the the expression of Caspase-3 in the granulosa cells of developing follicles was detected by immunohistochemical staining.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Caspase-3 protein expression was observed in granulosa cells of developing follicles, while the positive expression level and integrated optical density (IOD) value were increased along with the dosage of mifepristone increasing. The difference among the three dosage groups were significant (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Regulating Caspase-3 protein expression may be one of the ways for mifepristone inducing granulosa cell apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second Hospital, Second Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qiao
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ke-Hui
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Lin-Rui
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Cai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006107:Granulosa Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D015735:Mifepristone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D015735:Mifepristone; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3