An interim report on influence of NO on apoptosis in hepatocytes of white mice during aging

Natia Gujabidze, Rusudan Rukhadze

Department of Histology, Cytology and Embryology, Tbilisi State Medical University, Georgia

Nitric oxide (NO) and its reaction products can either promote or prevent apoptosis in multiple of settings. The ubiquitous distribution of the NO syntheses and the remarkable diffusibility and diverse chemical reactivity of NO in biological systems make this molecule unique among the regulators of apoptosis. The experiments were performed on juvenile, adult and senescent white mice. The animals were killed under ether narcosis. The liver was removed. For the detection of apoptotic nuclei the flow cytometry was used. Concentration of NO in samples was measured by ESR Study. Obtained data show that during aging both, the rate of apoptosis and the intensity of NO production decrease in adults and increase again in senescents. However, the intensity of these changes is not similar in senescents. It can be suggested that the pro- or antiapoptotic influence of NO on hepatocytes is not univocal and it greatly depends on age-related changes in cellular homeostasis.

Keywords:  hepatocyte, nitric oxide (NO), apoptosis, aging