Increased Activated Caspase-3 Expression in Testicular Germ Cells of Varicocele-Induced Rats

以實驗誘導左側精索靜脈曲張的老鼠發現活化的Caspase-3在其睪丸的表現量增加

李建達(Jane-Dar Lee) ； 鄭紹宇(Shaw-Yeu Jeng) ； 李宗翰(Tsung-Han Lee)

《臺灣泌尿科醫學會雜誌》 17卷3期 (2006/09) Pp. 81-86

摘要

OBJECTIVES: In mammalian cells, caspase-3 is considered to be a major executioner protease because it is essential for apoptotic cell death. We investigated the testicular germ cell apoptosis of rats with experimentally induced left varicocele by detecting activated caspase-3 expression.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: An experimental left varicocele (ELV) was created by partial ligation of the left renal vein in 24 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats as the study group. An additional 16 rats that underwent a laparotomy and renal vein handling without ligation served as the sham control group. Six rats of the study group and 4 rats of the control group were sacrificed at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks, respectively, following varicocele creation. The testicular tissues of the varicocele and control groups were sampled for activated caspase-3 by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry.
RESULTS: Actual numbers of rats in the varicocele group were 4, 5, 6, and 5at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks, respectively, after varicocele creation. The immunoblots of activated caspase-3 in both control and varicocele groups revealed a single band. The relative intensities of activated caspase-3 at 8 and 12 weeks significantly increased in the varicocele group compared to the ipsilateral testis of the control group (p＜0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: This animal study demonstrated increased expression of activated caspase-3 in testicular germ cells at 8 and 12 weeks after varicocele creation. That means that the increase in testicular germ cells apoptosis in rats with ELV occurred gradually. This may be a factor in varicocele causing male infertility in humans.

關鍵字

活化的caspase-3 ； 生殖細胞 ； 實驗誘導精索靜脈曲張 ； 老鼠

並列摘要

OBJECTIVES: In mammalian cells, caspase-3 is considered to be a major executioner protease because it is essential for apoptotic cell death. We investigated the testicular germ cell apoptosis of rats with experimentally induced left varicocele by detecting activated caspase-3 expression.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: An experimental left varicocele (ELV) was created by partial ligation of the left renal vein in 24 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats as the study group. An additional 16 rats that underwent a laparotomy and renal vein handling without ligation served as the sham control group. Six rats of the study group and 4 rats of the control group were sacrificed at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks, respectively, following varicocele creation. The testicular tissues of the varicocele and control groups were sampled for activated caspase-3 by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry.
RESULTS: Actual numbers of rats in the varicocele group were 4, 5, 6, and 5at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks, respectively, after varicocele creation. The immunoblots of activated caspase-3 in both control and varicocele groups revealed a single band. The relative intensities of activated caspase-3 at 8 and 12 weeks significantly increased in the varicocele group compared to the ipsilateral testis of the control group (p＜0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: This animal study demonstrated increased expression of activated caspase-3 in testicular germ cells at 8 and 12 weeks after varicocele creation. That means that the increase in testicular germ cells apoptosis in rats with ELV occurred gradually. This may be a factor in varicocele causing male infertility in humans.

並列關鍵字

caspase-3 ； testicular germ cell ； induced varicocele ； rat