PURPOSE To examine whether Nrf2-regulated antioxidant defense and p53 are activated in human corneal endothelial cells (CEnCs) by environmental levels of ultraviolet A (UV-A), a known stimulator of oxidative stress. METHODS Immortalized human CEnCs (HCEnCi) were exposed to UV-A fluences of 2.5, 5, 10, or 25 J/cm2, then allowed to recover for 3 to 24 hours. Control HCEnCi did not receive UV-A....

Inhalation anesthetics are reported to affect cognition in both animals and humans. The influence of inhalation anesthetics in learning and memory are contradictory. We therefore investigated the effects of sevoflurane anesthesia with different durations on cognitive performance and the levels of NMDA receptor subunit NR2B, phosphorylated ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) and activated caspase3 in mouse hippoc...

Infection rate, reaction to light, and hair follicle apoptosis are examined in the dogmite, Demodex canis Leydig (Prostigmata: Demodicidae), in dogs from the northern area of Taiwan. An analysis of relevant samples revealed 7.2% (73/1013) prevalence of D. canis infection. Infection during the investigation peaked each winter, with an average prevalence of 12.5% (32/255). The infection rates sig...

OBJECTIVE To explore the potential regulatory mechanism of MMP9 in the development of DR. METHODS Plasmids pcDNA-MMP9 and pcDNA-Ang2 were transfected into primary rat retinal Müller cells (RMCs) using Lipofectamine 2000. Cell viability and apoptosis were respectively determined by MTT assay and flow cytometry. Moreover, the interaction between MMP9 and Ang2 was explored. Besides, RMCs were tr...

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the role of autophagy in the shikonin (SKI) induced apoptosis in human medullary thyroid carcinoma TT cells and the potential molecular mechanism. Methods: Human medullary thyroid carcinoma TT cells were used in the present experiment. The proliferative capability was evaluated by MTT assay, the cell apoptosis rate was determined by flow cytometry, the...

Recent studies have found that propofol may protect brain from cerebral ischemic-reperfusion injury. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The effects of propofol were evaluated in HBVSMC after hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). Cell viability and levels of SOD, LDH, and MDA were measured. Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. The levels of Bax, Bcl-2, Caspase3, Sur2b, Kir6.1, JNK, p...

Death receptor 3 (DR3) belongs to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor superfamily, primarily found in lymphoid tissues. Reports have determined that DR3 may also be distributed in numerous types of tumors. Therefore, it is thought that DR3 may have an important role in the process of tumorigenesis. The aim of the present study was to observe the effect of silencing DR3 expression on hepato...

Silk glands (SGs) undergo massive apoptosis driven degeneration during the larval-pupal transformation. To better understand this event on molecular level, we investigated the expression of apoptosis-related genes across the developmental transition period that spans day 4 in the fifth instar Bombyx mori larvae to day 2 pupae. Increases in the expression of BmDredd (an initiator caspase homolog...

This paper reports the data from the long term time lapse imaging of neuronal cell line NG108-15 that were treated with apoptosis inducer or various ER stress inducers. Use of the fluorescent reporter for activated caspase3/7 in combination with the conventional light microscope allowed us to investigate the time course of apoptosis induction at the single cell level. Quantitative as well as qu...