Effects of interleukin-10 on Bcl-2 and Bax expressions in cerebral ischemia of rats

Objective To investigate the effects of interleukin-10 on Bcl-2 and Bax expressions in peri-infarct zone of cerebral ischemic rats. Methods Forty eight male adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into four groups: Sham operation group, middle cerebral artery occlusion group (MCAO group), MCAO plus vehicle adminerstration group (Vehicle group), and MCAO plus interleukin-10 administration group (IL-10 group). Twenty four hours after operation, rats were sacrificed by decapitation, and the level of Bcl-2 and Bax expression in peri-infarct cerebral tissue were measured by Immunohistochemical (ICH) and RT-PCR. Results In rats of MCAO group, the expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax and the rate of Bcl-2/Bax were decreased significantly, compared with Sham group (P0.01). In rats of IL-10 group, the Bcl-2 expression was upregulated (P0.05), the Bax expression was downregulated (P0.01), and the rate of Bcl-2/Bax was increased (P0.01), compared with vehicle group. Conclusion Interleukin-10 is significantly related to the upregulation of Bcl-2 expression, the downregulation of Bax expression, and the increase of the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax in peri-infarct zone of cerebral ischemia, which suggest that interleukin-10 could be related with the inhibitory effects on ischemic neurocyte apoptosis.