Silver ion induces a cyclosporine a-insensitive permeability transition in rat liver mitochondria and release of apoptogenic cytochrome C.

Various reagents are known to open the mitochondrial permeability pore (PTP) and induce a permeability transition (PT), releasing apoptogenic proteins from the intermembrane space and triggering apoptosis. In this study, we examined the effect of Ag(+), a known cytotoxic sulfhydryl-reactive heavy metal, on isolated rat liver mitochondria. The following results were obtained: (1) Upon addition, Ag(+) instantly induced mitochondrial swelling and acceleration of respiration.

Biochemical and microarray analyses of bupivacaine-induced apoptosis.

The mechanism by which apoptosis is induced by local anesthetic bupivacaine, a potent uncoupler of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, was investigated. In promyelocytic leukemia cells HL-60, bupivacaine induced formation of apoptotic bodies and DNA fragmentation in a time- and dose-dependent manner similar to typical apoptosis inducers. Caspase-3, -8 and -9, which play a pivotal role in the initiation and execution of receptor- or mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, were all clearly activated by bupivacaine in good correlation with the degree of DNA fragmentation.