Ghrelin对雌激素诱导小鼠胸腺萎缩过程中细胞因子及凋亡相关蛋白基因表达的影响

应用光镜和实时定量PCR技术研究了Ghrelin对雌激素诱导小鼠胸腺萎缩过程中胸腺形态学以及部分细胞因子和凋亡相关蛋白基因表达的影响。结果显示，注射Ghrelin后，雌激素诱导的小鼠萎缩胸腺在形态学上基本恢复到正常水平，胸腺中IL-6、TGF-[31、Caspase3、FADDmRNA含量显著降低，Caspase9、FasLmRNA含量略为下降，而IL-7、Bcl-2mRNA含量有所上升。结果表明，Ghrelin可能通过促进胸腺上皮细胞的增殖以及阻断Caspase级联程序和Fas／FasL凋亡信号通路抑制胸腺细胞的凋亡，从而逆转雌激素诱导的小鼠胸腺萎缩。

Effects of exogenous ghrelin on the expression of cytokines and apoptosis-associat- ed protein genes during estrogen-induced thymus atrophy in mouse

The effects of exogenous ghrelin on the thymic morphology and the expression of several thymic cytokines and apoptosis-associated protein genes were studied by using light microscope and real-time PCR technique during estrogen-induced thymus atrophy in mouse. The results indicated that in ghrelin administration mouse,the estrogen- induced atrophic thymus almost returned to normal in morphology, and the expression level of IL-6, TGF-131, Caspase3 and FADD mRNA in thymus were significantly decreased,Caspase 9 and FasL mRNA slightly decreased, while IL-7 and Bcl-2 mRNA increased a little. The results revealed that ghrelin reversing estrogen-induced mouse thymus atrophy may be through promoting thymic epithelial cell proliferation and inhibiting thymocyte apoptosis by blocking the Caspase cascade and the Fas/FasL-mediated apoptosis.