为了进一步探讨SO2的毒理学作用机制,运用荧光实时定量RT-PCR和免疫组化技术研究SO,吸入对大鼠肝细胞中p53、bax和bcl-2三种细胞凋亡相关基因mRNA和蛋白表达的影响.结果显示,肝中p53和bax mRNA水平呈剂量依赖性增加,在SO2浓度为28.00和56.00mg/m3时显著增加(p53 mRNA在28 mg/m3为1.30倍,在56 mg/m3为3.43倍;bax mRNA在28 mg/m3为1.63倍,在56 mg/m3为2.17倍);而bcl-2 mRNA水平显著降低(在28 mg/m3为0.63倍,在56 mg/m3为0.45倍).免疫组化实验结果表明,吸入SO2后,大鼠肝中p53和bax蛋白表达水平呈剂量依赖性增加,而bcl-2蛋白表达水平呈剂量依赖性降低.结果表明,SO2可以改变凋亡相关基因的表达,诱导大鼠肝组织细胞凋亡,这可能与一些凋亡相关疾病的发生有关.
The mRNA and protein levels of p53, bax, bcl-2 were analyzed in livers using a real-time reverse transcfiption-polymcrase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR) assay and immunohistochemistry method, respectively. Our results showed that mRNA levels of p53 and bax were increased in a dose-dependent manner and at the SO2 concentrations of 28.00 and 56.00 mg/m^3 their increases were significant, while mRNA levels of bcl-2 were decreased significantly in livers of rats exposed to SO2 . Dose-dependent increases of p53 and bax proteins in the livers were observed after SO2 inhalation, while decrease of bcl-2 protein levels was obtained using immunohistochemistry method. These results lead to a conclusion that exposure SO2 can change the expression of apoptosis-related genes, and it suggests that SO2 can induce apoptosis in liver of rat and may be related with some apoptosis-related diseases. Elucidating the expression patterns of those factors after SO2 inhalation might be critical to our understanding mechanisms of SO2 toxicity and helpful for the therapeutic intervention.