Anti-apoptotic effects of diosgenin on ovariectomized hearts.

Background: The anti-apoptotic effects of diosgenin, a steroid saponin, on hearts in female with estrogen deficiency have been less studied. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-apoptotic effects of diosgenin on cardiac widely dispersed apoptosis in a bilateral ovariectomized animal model.

Methods: A total of 60 female Wistar rats, aged 6-7 months, were divided into the sham-operated group (Sham), bilateral ovariectomized rats for 2 months, and ovariectomized rats administered with 0, 10, 50, or 100 mg/kg diosgenin daily (OVX, OVX 10, OVX 50, and OVX 100, respectively) in the second month.

Cardiac Fas-Dependent and Mitochondria-Dependent Apoptotic Pathways in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease.

Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene. Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in patients with Huntington's disease. This study was to evaluate whether cardiac Fas-dependent and mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathways are activated in transgenic mice with Huntington's disease.