[The effect of interleukin-10 on neurocyte apoptosis in cerebral ischemia in rats].

Aim: To investigate the effect of interleukin-10 on neurocyte apoptosis in cerebral ischemia in rats.
Methods: 36 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into 3 groups: sham operation group, middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO) group and MCAO+interleukin-10 treatment group. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated biotinylated UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining was used to detect in situ cell apoptosis, immunohistochemical staining and RT-PCR were used to detect the expression of proapoptotic gene Fas, Fas ligand (FasL) and caspase-3 in peri-infarct, respectively.
Results: Cerebral ischemia significantly induced neurocyte apoptosis and upregulated the expression of Fas, FasL and caspase-3, repcetively (P<0.05). IL-10 treatment significantly inhibited neurocyte apoptosis, and suppressed the expression of proapoptotic gene FasL and caspase-3, repcetively (P<0.05), but had no obvious effect on Fas expression (P>0.05).
Conclusion: IL-10 can suppress neurocyte apoptosis in cerebral ischemia, whose mechanisms seemed related to inhibiting the expression of proapoptotic gene FasL and caspase-3.