Effects of cadmium chloride on apoptosis of rat primary astrocytes in cultured

Objective To study the effects of cadmium chloride on apoptosis of rat primary astrocytes in cultured. Methods The astrocytes in logarithmic growth phase were exposed to cadmium chloride at the doses of 0(control),2.5,5,10,20 and 40μmol/L for 12 h and 24 h,then cell survival rate was measured by MTT assay;The astrocytes exposed to 0(control),2.5,5,10 and 20 μmol/L cadmium chloride for 12 h were used to detect apoptosis rate by flow cytometry stained with Annexin V-FITC/PI. Results Compared with the control group, the astrocytes exposed to 5-40 μmol/L cadmium chloride for 12 h and 24 h revealed lower survival rate, the astrocytes exposed to 5-20 μmol/L cadmium chloride for 12 h revealed higher apoptosis rate with statistically significant difference(P0.05);And with the increase of cadmium chloride exposure level,the survival rate of the astrocytes decreased,the apoptosis rate increased. Conclusion Cadmium chloride may induce the apoptosis of astrocytes.