关键词: 凋亡, 孤独症, Caspase-3, Bcl-2

Abstract:

Objective   To investigate the change of apoptosis-related protein Caspase-3 and Bcl-2 and effect of apoptosis in the rat model of autism. Methods  Ten female Wistar rats (250-260 g) out of 20 were selected randomly to receive a single intraperitoneal injection of sodium valproate (VPA) at the pregnancy day of 12.5, whose offspring were defined as the autism model group. The rest 10 female Wistar rats received the intraperitoneal injection of saline, whose offspring were defined as the control group. To confirm whether the animal model was successfully established, the negative geotaxis test and self-grooming test were compared between the autism model group and control group. Western blotting was used to detect the expressions of Caspase-3 and Bcl-2 in prefrontal cortex in the two groups. Results  The animal model of autism was successfully established. Compared with the control group, the negative geotaxis time and the cumulative self-grooming time in the autism model group significantly increased (P<0.05); the expression of Caspase-3 decreased while Bcl-2 in prefrontal cortex incresed(all P＜0.05) in the autism model group. Conclusion  The apoptosis is inhibited in prefrontal cortex of autism, which suggests that the modulation of apoptosis might be a potential therapeutic strategy for autism.

Key words: Caspase-3, Autism, Bcl-2, Apoptosis