Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P42574 (caspase-3)
 45,978 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The pathological mechanism of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty-induced restenosis has been attributed to outgrowth of vascular smooth muscle cells. Pretreatment with antioxidants has been shown to reduce restenosis. Magnolol, an active compound of Magnolia officinalis, has exhibited approximately 1,000 times more potent antioxidant effects than alpha-tocopherol. In this study, we demonstrate, using cytometric analysis, an approximate 61% reduction of smooth muscle cells progressing to the S-phase by 0.05 mg/ml of magnolol. A BrdU incorporation assay also showed a significant reduction (73%) of DNA synthesis using 0.05 mg/ml of magnolol. The protein level of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen was suppressed by approximately 48% using 0.05 mg/ml of magnolol. This was in agreement with the promoter activity of nuclear factor-kappa B, which was also attenuated by 0.05 mg/ml of magnolol. Since receptor interacting protein and caspase-3 protein expression levels were both increased by magnolol in a dose-dependent manner, the apoptotic pathway may mediate the inhibition of cell growth. Our finding that malondialdehyde formation was significantly inhibited by 0.05 mg/ml of magnolol further supported the antioxidant effect of magnolol. These studies suggest that magnolol might be a potential pharmacological reagent in preventing balloon injury-induced restenosis.
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PMID:Elucidating the inhibitory mechanisms of magnolol on rat smooth muscle cell proliferation. 1634 Jan 56

This work was directed to evaluate immunoexpression of markers for apoptosis, resistance to apoptosis, and cell proliferation, as well as estimates of nuclear size in ventral prostate of rats treated with cadmium chloride and cadmium+zinc chloride because a possible protective effect of zinc has been postulated. The following variables were studied: volume fraction (VF) of Bcl-2 immunostaining, percentage of cells immunoreactive to proliferating cell nuclear antigen (LIPCNA) and p53 (LIp53), numerical density of caspase-3 immunoreactive cells (NV caspase-3), and estimates of volume-weighted mean nuclear volume (upsilonV). The LIPCNA and VF of Bcl-2 were significantly increased in the treated animals. The dysplasias (independent of their origin) showed a significant increase of the LIp53, NV caspase-3, and upsilonV in comparison with normal acini from treated and control animals. It can be concluded that cell proliferation is enhanced in long-term cadmium-exposed rats, and exposure to zinc combined with cadmium had no effect on any of the variables studied when comparing with normal acini. The increase of nuclear upsilonV could indicate a more aggressive behavior for pretumoral lesions.
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PMID:Immunohistochemical study of cell proliferation, Bcl-2, p53, and caspase-3 expression on preneoplastic changes induced by cadmium and zinc chloride in the ventral rat prostate. 1658 87

Poorly controlled diabetes mellitus results in structural and functional changes in many brain regions. We demonstrate that in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats cell death is increased and proliferation decreased in the cerebellum, indicating overall cell loss. Levels of both the proform and cleaved forms of caspases 3, 6 and 9 are increased, with no change in caspases 7, 8 or 12. Colocalization of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and cleaved caspase 3 and GFAP in TUNEL-positive cells increased in diabetic rats. Changes in GFAP levels paralleled modifications in proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), increasing at 1 week of diabetes and decreasing thereafter, and proliferating GFAP-positive cells were decreased in the cerebellum of diabetic rats. These results suggest that astrocytes are dramatically affected in the cerebellum, including an increase in cell death and a decrease in proliferation, and this could play a role in the structural and functional changes in this brain area in diabetes.
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PMID:Activation of the intrinsic cell death pathway, increased apoptosis and modulation of astrocytes in the cerebellum of diabetic rats. 1675 3

Cathepsin B is a cysteine proteinase, considered to have an important role in apoptosis, which is activated by D-galactosamine and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (D-GalN/TNF-alpha). Benzyloxycarbonyl-L-phenylalanine fluoromethyl ketone (Z-FA.FMK) is a cathepsin B inhibitor used in research on apoptotic pathways. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Z-FA.FMK on apoptotic cell death, cell proliferation and liver damage induced by a D-GalN/TNF-alpha combination in mice. In the study, 1 h after administration of 8 mg/kg Z-FA.FMK by intravenous injection, D-GalN (700 mg/kg) and TNF-alpha (15 microg/kg) were administered by a single intraperitoneal injection. In the group given D-GalN/TNF-alpha, the following results were found: Degenerative changes in the liver tissue, significant increase in the number of both TUNEL and activated caspase-3-positive hepatocytes, a decrease in the number of PCNA-positive hepatocytes, an increase in lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels and a decrease in glutathione (GSH) and DNA levels in the liver tissue. In contrast, in the group given D-GalN/TNF-alpha and Z-FA.FMK, a decrease in the damage of the liver tissue, a significant decrease in TUNEL and activated caspase-3-positive hepatocytes, a significant increase in the number of PCNA-positive hepatocytes, a decrease in the LPO levels, an increase in GSH and DNA levels in the liver tissue were found. As a result, microscopic and biochemical evaluations indicate that Z-FA.FMK plays a protective role against liver injury induced by D-GalN/TNF-alpha and it has an inverse effect on hepatocyte apoptosis and proliferation in BALB/c mice.
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PMID:The effect of Z-FA.FMK on D-galactosamine/TNF-alpha-induced liver injury in mice. 1685 May 24

Ghrelin has recently emerged as pleiotropic regulator of a wide array of endocrine and non-endocrine functions. The former likely includes the control of gonadal function, as expression of ghrelin and its putative receptor, the GH secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHS-R1a), has been described in mammalian gonads, and direct effects of ghrelin in the control of testicular secretion and cell proliferation have been reported. Yet, the expression and/or functional role of ghrelin in gonads from non-mammalian species remain to be analyzed. The present study aimed to evaluate the expression of ghrelin and GHS-R genes in the chicken ovary, and to assess the potential involvement of ghrelin in the direct control of chick ovarian function. To this end, RT-PCR assays for ghrelin and GHS-R1a mRNAs were performed in ovarian tissue, and cultures of chicken ovarian cells were conducted in the presence of increasing doses (1, 10 or 100 ng/ml) of the ghrelin analog, ghrelin 1-18. Our results demonstrate that both ghrelin and GHS-R1a mRNAs are expressed in chick ovarian tissue. Moreover, challenge of ovarian granulosa cells with ghrelin 1-18 was able to induce markers of proliferation (i.e. expression of both PCNA and cyclin), and to modulate markers of apoptosis (i.e. decreased expression of caspase-3, bax, bcl-2 and TUNEL-positive cells). Moreover, ghrelin 1-18 increased the expression of PCNA, cyclin, bax and p53 in cultures of ovarian follicular fragments, where it also stimulated the release of progesterone, estradiol, arginine-vasotocin (AVT) and IGF-I, but not of testosterone. In conclusion, our study provides novel evidence for the gonadal expression of the genes encoding ghrelin and its cognate receptor in a non-mammalian species, i.e. the chicken ovary, and unravels the potential involvement of this newly discovered molecule in the control of key gonadal functions in the chick, such as proliferation, apoptosis, and hormone release.
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PMID:Novel expression and functional role of ghrelin in chicken ovary. 1689 Oct 55

Combination chemoprevention using tea polyphenols as one of the components has received growing consideration in recent years. The present study was designed to evaluate the antiproliferative and apoptosis inducing effects of bovine lactoferrin (bLF) and black tea polyphenol (Polyphenon-B: P-B) combination on 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced hamster buccal pouch (HBP) carcinogenesis. Topical application of DMBA for 14 weeks induced buccal pouch tumours that showed aberrant expression of cytokeratins, a marker for epithelial carcinomas. This was associated with increased cell proliferation and evasion of apoptosis as revealed by upregulation of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, NF-kappaB, mutant p53, Bcl-2 and downregulation of Bax, Fas and caspase 3 protein expression. Although dietary administration of bLF and Polyphenon-B alone significantly reduced tumour incidence, combined administration of bLF and Polyphenon-B was more effective in inhibiting HBP carcinogenesis by restoring normal cytokeratin expression, inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis. These findings suggest that a "designer item" approach will be useful for human oral cancer prevention strategies.
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PMID:Antiproliferative and apoptosis inducing effect of lactoferrin and black tea polyphenol combination on hamster buccal pouch carcinogenesis. 1690 60

Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) induces a high rate of liver disease in infants, yet the pathogenesis remains elusive. We used neonatal piglets as an animal model to assess early events leading to TPN-mediated liver injury. Newborn piglets (n = 7) were nourished for 7 d on TPN or enteral nutrition (EN) and the liver tissue and isolated hepatocytes were subjected to morphologic and molecular analysis. Histological analysis revealed prominent steatosis (grade > 2) in 6 of 7 TPN pigs, whereas minimal steatosis (grade < or = 1) was observed in only 2 EN pigs. Abundant cytosolic cytochrome C and DNA fragmentation were observed in hepatocytes from TPN compared with EN piglets. Markers of mitochondrial and Fas-mediated apoptosis were altered in TPN liver tissue, as indicated by a lower ATP concentration (P < 0.05), accumulation of ubiquitin, 9.9-fold activation of caspase-3 activity (P < 0.01), and increased cleavage of poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase, caspase-8, -9, and -7 when compared with EN livers. Bcl-2 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression was downregulated, whereas Fas and Bax were upregulated in TPN livers. However, levels of caspase-12 and Bip/GRP78, both markers of endoplasmic reticulum-mediated apoptosis, did not differ between the groups. Short-term TPN induces steatosis and oxidative stress, which results in apoptosis mediated by the mitochondrial and Fas pathways. Thus, TPN-induced steatosis in newborn piglets may serve as a novel animal model to assess the pathogenesis of fatty liver and apoptosis-mediated liver injury in infants.
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PMID:Total parenteral nutrition induces liver steatosis and apoptosis in neonatal piglets. 1698 24

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the leading cause of cancer related deaths in the world, with increasing incidence in many developed countries. Epidemiological data suggest that consumption of soy products may be associated with a decreased risk of cancer. We investigate the effects of genistein on cell proliferation, apoptosis and caspase-3 in DEN induced (200 mg/kg body weight; by single intraperitoneal injection) and Phenobarbital promoted (0.05% through drinking water for 14 successive weeks) cancer-bearing rats. Immunohistochemistry was employed to detect cell proliferating markers proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), DNA fragmentation was determined by agarose gel electrophoresis and terminal deoxynucleatide transferase dUTP nick labeling (TUNEL) staining and caspase by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We found inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis and activation of caspase-3 in genistein treated animals. From these results, we conclude that genistein inhibit cell proliferation, induced apoptosis. This activation of caspsase-3 in genistein treated liver cancer bearing animals correlated well with its apoptosis inducing effect.
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PMID:Inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis by genistein in experimental hepatocellular carcinoma. 1700 17

Unlike the small intestine and colon where gamma-radiation-induced apoptosis has previously been well characterized, the response of murine gastric epithelium to gamma-radiation has not been investigated in detail. Apoptosis was therefore assessed on a cell positional basis in gastric antral and corpus glands from adult male mice following gamma-radiation. Maximum numbers of apoptotic cells were observed in both antrum and corpus at 48 h and at radiation doses greater than 12 Gy. However, the number of apoptotic cells observed in the gastric epithelium was much lower than observed in the small intestine or colon after similar doses of radiation. Hematoxylin and eosin, caspase 3 immunohistochemistry, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling detected similar numbers and cell positional distributions of apoptotic cells, hence hematoxylin and eosin was used for subsequent studies. The highest numbers of apoptotic cells were observed at cell positions 5-6 in the antrum and cell positions 15-18 in the corpus. These distributions coincided with the distributions of PCNA-labeled proliferating cells, but not with the distributions of H(+)-K(+)-ATPase-labeled parietal cells or TFF2-labeled mucous neck cells. Decreased numbers of apoptotic gastric epithelial cells were observed in p53-null, bak-null, and bax-null mice compared with wild-type counterparts 6 and 48 h after 12 Gy gamma-radiation. Significantly increased numbers of apoptotic gastric epithelial cells were observed in bcl-2-null mice compared with wild-type littermates 6 h after 12 Gy gamma-radiation. Radiation therefore induces apoptosis in the proliferative zone of mouse gastric epithelium. This response is regulated by the expression of p53, bak, bax, and bcl-2.
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PMID:Radiation-induced gastric epithelial apoptosis occurs in the proliferative zone and is regulated by p53, bak, bax, and bcl-2. 1706 16

The relationship between Bcl-2, Bax, Fas, caspase-3 and development of hemangioma and the molecular mechanism was investigated. By using immunohistochemical S-P method, proliferating cell nuclear antigen was detected. According to the classification of Mulliken in combination with PCNA expression, 27 cases were identified as proliferating hemangioma and 22 cases as involutive hemangioma. Five normal skin tissues around the tumor tissue served as controls. By using immunohistochemical technique, the expression of Bcl-2, Bax, Fax and Caspase-3 was detected. The cells expressing Bcl-2, Bax, Fax and cappase-3 were identified as hemangioma endothelia by immunohistochemical staining of VIII factor. The average absorbance (A) and average positive area rate of Bcl-2, Bax, Fas and caspase-3 expression were measured by using HPIAS-2000 imaging analysis system. The results showed that the expression of Bcl-2 in the endothelia of proliferating hemangioma was significantly higher that in involutive degenerative hemangioma endothelia and vascular endothelia of normal skin tissue (P < 0.01). The expression of Bax, Fas and Caspase-3 in the endothelia of involutive hemangioma was obviously higher than in the endothelia of proliferating hemangioma and normal skin tissue (P < 0.01). The expression of BAx and Fas in endothelia of proliferating hemangioma was higher than in those of normal skin tissue (P < 0.05). It was suggested that Bcl-2, Bax, Fas and caspase-3 might be involved in the development and involution of hemangioma. Bcl-2 could promote the growth of hemangioma by inhibiting apoptosis of endothelia. Bax, Fas and caspase-3 promote the switch of hemangioma from proliferation to involution by inducing the apoptosis of hemangioma endothelia.
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PMID:Expression and significance of Bcl-2, Bax, Fas and caspase-3 in different phases of human hemangioma. 1712 Jul 32


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