Therapeutic effects of Dioscorea on post-menopause-induced cardiac apoptosis in rats.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of Dioscorea on bilateral ovariectomies-induced cardiac Fasdependent and mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathways.


METHODS
Forty-eight female Wistar rats at 6-7 months of age were equally divided into a sham-operated group, and a bilateral ovariectomized (OVX) group for 2 months, and the rats in the OVX group were further fed with 0, 250 or 750 mL/kg Dioscorea spp. daily in the 2nd month. The excised hearts were measured by positive terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assays, western blotting and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.


RESULTS
Dioscorea spp. decreased OVX-induced cardiac TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells; decreased OVX-induced TNF-alpha, Fas ligand, Fas death receptors, Fas-associated death domain, activated caspase-8, and -3 (Fas pathways); decreased OVX-induced Bad, Bax, Bax-to-Bcl2 ratio, activated caspase-9, and -3 (mitochondria pathway).


CONCLUSIONS
Dioscorea spp. prevented ovariectomy-induced cardiac Fas-dependent and mitochondriadependent apoptotic pathways in rat models. The fifi ndings may provide possible therapeutic effects of dioscorea for potentially preventing cardiac apoptosis after ovariectomy or post-menopause.
Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, 40202, China.|Department of Occupational Therapy, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan, 41354, China.|School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai (201203, China.
Shin-da
SD
Lee
Department of Biological Science and Technology, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, 40202, China.
Wei-Wen
WW
Kuo
School of Psychology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, 40201, China.
Ying-Jui
YJ
Ho
Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, 40202, China.
Ann-Chi
AC
Lin
Department of Nursing, MeiHo University, Pingtung, Taiwan (91202, China.
Cecilia Hsuan
CH
Day
Department of Biotechnology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, 641046, India.
Vijaya Padma
VP
Viswanadha
Department of Food and Nutrition, Huang-Kuang University, Taichung, Taiwan, 43302, China.
Hsueh Fang
HF
Wang
Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, 40202, China.|Laboratory of Exercise Biochemistry, University of Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan, 10048, China.
Chia-Hua
CH
Kuo
Division of Cardiology, Armed Force Taichung General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, 41168, China.
Chao-Hung
CH
Lai
Graduate Institute of Chinese Medical Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, 40202, China. cyhuang@mail.cmu.edu.tw.|Institute of Medical Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, 40202, China. cyhuang@mail.cmu.edu.tw.|Department of Health and Nutrition Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan, 41354, China. cyhuang@mail.cmu.edu.tw.
Chih-Yang
CY
Huang
apoptosis; caspase; dioscorea; heart; menopause; oophorectomy; yam