Elephantopus scaber Linn. was used traditionally for treating various diseases. Previous studies found the cytotoxicity of this herb against different cell lines. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the ethanolic extract of E.scaber in inducing apoptosis by observing itseffect on caspase cascade. This ethanolic extract was obtained by maceration method using 96% ethanol. It was f...

Apoptosis is co-ordinated by a family of cysteine proteases, the caspases, that dismantle the cell by targeting a panoply of proteins for limited proteolysis. The mammalian caspase family contains 14 members, a subset of which participates in apoptosis, with the remainder likely to be involved in the processing of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Apical caspase activation events are typically initia...

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is an essential physiological process that plays a critical role in development and tissue homeostasis. The progress of apoptosis is regulated in an orderly way by a series of signal cascades under certain circumstances. The caspase-cascade system plays vital roles in the induction, transduction and amplification of intracellular apoptotic signals. Caspases,...

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and caspases 8, 9, and 3 are reported to be crucial players in apoptosis induced by various stimuli. Recently, caspase 2 has been implicated in stress-induced apoptosis but the exact mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we report that ROS generation led to activation of caspase 2 during beta-carotene-induced apoptosis in the human leukemic T cell line Molt 4. ...

Apoptotic caspases, including caspase-9, are thought to facilitate platelet shedding by megakaryocytes. They are known to be activated during platelet apoptosis, and have also been implicated in platelet hemostatic responses. However, the precise requirement for, and the regulation of, apoptotic caspases have never been defined in either megakaryocytes or platelets. To establish the role of cas...

Background and Aim: Smoking has been extensively investigated in oncology, controversial associations with brain tumor incidence have reported. Caspase-3 matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) belong to an important cascade vasculogenesis. We aim study the smoking impact on these signaling molecules nontumoral rat tissue. Methods Materials/Patients: A total of 60 Wistar rats were divided into two gro...

The caspase cascade in Drosophila is controlled primarily by DIAP1 (Drosophila inhibitor of apoptosis), which exerts its regulatory effect by targeting the initiator caspase DRONC for proteasomal degradation. Pro­apoptotic signaling stimulates auto­ubiquitination by DIAP1 and frees DRONC to activate the caspase cascade. We used RT­PCR for expression profiling of Drosophila S2 cells and determin...