Xiang Bin, Zhang Yan, Li Yu-Ming, Gao Yan, Gan Ye-Hua, Wu Li-Ling, Yu Guang-Yan
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, PR China.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2008 Dec 5;377(1):210-4. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2008.09.120. Epub 2008 Oct 7.
Submandibular gland (SMG) autotransplantation is an effective treatment for severe keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Our previous studies have shown that phenylephrine attenuates structural injury and promotes cell proliferation in autotransplanted rabbit SMG. However, the mechanism by which phenylephrine reduces the injury has not been fully evaluated. In this study, we investigate the ability of phenylephrine to inhibit apoptosis in autotransplanted rabbit SMG. We observed that apoptosis occurred in the early phase of SMG transplantation and that phenylephrine treatment protected transplanted SMG from apoptosis. Furthermore, we found that phenylephrine could significantly upregulate the expression of Bcl-2, downregulate the expression of Bax, and inhibit the activation of both caspase-3 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in autotransplanted SMG. Therefore, the cytoprotective effects of phenylephrine on autotransplanted SMG may be a novel clinical strategy for autotransplanted SMG protection during the early postoperative stage of transplantation.
