title: Melatonin attenuates polychlorinated biphenyls induced apoptosis in the neuronal cells of cerebral cortex and cerebellum of adult male rats--in vivo.
abstract: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are widespread persistent environmental contaminants that display a complex spectrum of toxicological properties, including neurotoxicity. Studies have shown that PCBs increase oxidative stress in brain, leading to apoptosis. The progressive loss of neurons in cerebral cortex and cerebellum, leads to various neurodegenerative diseases. Hence the present study is designed to determine PCBs toxicity toward neuronal cells and whether it could be inhibited by potent antioxidant melatonin. Four groups of adult male Wistar rats were treated for 30 days with corn oil, PCBs, PCBs+Mel and Melatonin, respectively. After treatment period the rats were euthanized and the brain was dissected to isolate cerebral cortex and cerebellum. The neuronal cells alone were then separated from the isolated brain regions, to detect the mRNA levels of apoptotic and neurofilament gene, a neuronal specific marker. Our results suggests that PCBs induces apoptosis in neuronal cells which is subsided by the anti apoptotic effect of melatonin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Dr. ALM Post Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras, Chennai 600 113, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bavithra
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Selvakumar
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Krishnamoorthy
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Venkataraman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arunakaran
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D053181:Caspase 8 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000235:genetics; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000633:toxicity*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; C505662:Faslg protein, rat; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D016328:NF-kappa B; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; C044882:neurofilament protein L; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; C505528:Casp8 protein, rat; D053181:Caspase 8; D008550:Melatonin