Influence of cadmium on Bcl-2,Bax and Caspase-3 mRNA transcription in rats primary cultured cerebral cortical neurons

To investigate the effects of cadmium on transcription levels of apoptosis-related genes Bcl-2,Bax and Caspase-3 mRNA in primary cerebral cortical neurons of SD rats,the neurons were exposured to cadmium at different concentrations(0,5,10,20 μmol/L) for 12 h.MTT assay was applied to test the cell viability,and real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR was used to detect the transcription levels of Bcl-2,Bax and Caspase-3 mRNA.In comparison with the control group,the results showed that the cell viability decreased significantly with the higher concentration cadmium(P0.05 or P0.01).Additionally,transcription levels of Bax and Caspase-3 mRNA increased significantly(P0.01),but transcription level of Bcl-2 mRNA and Bcl-2/Bax decreased significantly(P0.05,P0.01).It was concluded that cadmium can inhibit the growth of neurons and regulate the transcription of apoptosis-related genes,including Bcl-2,Bax and Caspase-3.