p53 activation and mitochondria-mediated pathway are involved during hanging death-induced neuronal cell apoptosis in dentate gyrus region of the rat brain.

The goal of this study was to understand the molecular event in the brain caused by hanging death (HD). Animals were subjected to either cervical dislocation (CD) or HD. Brain was collected at various times (0, 1, 3, 6 and 12 h) after death.

Generation of hydrogen peroxide mediates hanging death-induced neuronal cell apoptosis in the dentate gyrus of the rat brain.

Present study was aimed to find out whether hanging death (HD) induces generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and neuronal cell apoptosis in the dentate gyrus (DG) region of rat brain. Permanent global brain ischemia was generated by HD in experimental rats and the brain was isolated after 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12 and 24h post- HD and cervical dislocation (CD). The histology, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentration, catalase, caspase-9 and caspase-3 activities and DNA fragmentation were analyzed in neuronal cells of DG region of the brain.

Melatonin protects against clomiphene citrate-induced generation of hydrogen peroxide and morphological apoptotic changes in rat eggs.

The present study was aimed to determine whether clomiphene citrate-induces generation of hydrogen peroxide in ovary, if so, whether melatonin could scavenge hydrogen peroxide and protect against clomiphene citrate-induced morphological apoptotic changes in rat eggs. For this purpose, forty five sexually immature female rats were given single intramuscular injection of 10 IU pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin for 48 h followed by single injections of 10 IU human chorionic gonadotropin and clomiphene citrate (10 mg/kg bw) with or without melatonin (20 mg/kg bw) for 16 h. The histology of ovary, ovulation rate, hydrogen peroxide concentration and catalase activity in ovary and morphological changes in ovulated eggs were analyzed.

Extracellular calcium protects against verapamil-induced metaphase-II arrest and initiation of apoptosis in aged rat eggs.

Non-specific L-type calcium channel blockers, such as verapamil (> or =50 microM), induce metaphase-II (M-II) arrest and apoptosis in aged rat eggs cultured in Ca(2+)-deficient medium. However, the effects of extracellular Ca(2+) on verapamil-induced M-II arrest and apoptosis have not yet been reported. We have demonstrated that postovulatory aging induced exit from M-II arrest by extruding a second polar body, a morphological sign of spontaneous egg activation (SEA).

Development of ELISA for measurement of progesterone employing 17-alpha-OH-P-HRP as enzyme label.

The present study was aimed to develop a highly specific and sensitive Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) to measure progesterone in human serum using a heterologous combination of immunogen and enzyme conjugate. The antiserum was raised against Progesterone-3-O-carboxymethyloxime bovine serum albumin (P-3-O-CMO-BSA) in New Zealand white rabbits. The enzyme conjugate was prepared by labeling 17-alpha-hydroxy-progesterone-3-O-carboxymethyloxime (17-alpha-OH-P-3-O-CMO) with Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP) to form 17-alpha-OH-P-3-CMO-HRP.

Intracellular levels of hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide in oocytes at various stages of meiotic cell cycle and apoptosis.

The objective was to find out the functional roles of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and nitric oxide (NO) during various stages of meiotic cell cycle and apoptosis in rat oocytes. For this purpose, 30 oocytes from each stage such as diplotene, metaphase-I (M-I), metaphase-II (M-II) and apoptosis were collected and intracellular H(2)O(2), total nitrite level and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression were analysed. This study demonstrated that generation of a tonic level of H(2)O(2) induces meiotic resumption in diplotene-arrested oocytes and further increase may lead to apoptosis.

Calcium ionophore-induced egg activation and apoptosis are associated with the generation of intracellular hydrogen peroxide.

The present study was designed to investigate whether calcium ionophore-induced activation and apoptosis are associated with the generation of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) in rat eggs cultured in vitro. Culture of metaphase-II (M-II) arrested eggs in Ca(2+)/Mg(2+)-deficient medium did not induce egg activation, while a second polar body was observed in 20% of eggs when cultured in Ca(2+)/Mg(2+)-supplemented medium. In Ca(2+)/Mg(2+)-deficient medium, lower concentrations of calcium ionophore (0.