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[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3892/ol.2018.8364.].
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Splenic hilar vascular injury may occur during laparoscopic radical total gastrectomy for splenic hilar lymph node dissection and often causes massive hemorrhage, requiring conversion to laparotomy and splenectomy. Surgeons treating splenic hilar vascular injuries need a way to stop bleeding promptly and accurately. Herein, we report a case of splenic hilar vascular injury during laparoscopic total gastrectomy in which we successfully managed to stop the bleeding and preserve the spleen.
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RATIONALE: Lung cancer (LC) is a malignant tumor with the highest morbidity and mortality in the world. The most common metastatic sites of LC are the brain (47%), bone (36%), liver (22%), adrenal glands (15%), thoracic cavity (11%) and distant lymph nodes (10%). Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) is a rare clinical event in LC patients. Considering the rarity and nonspecific clinical symptoms of peritoneal metastasis among LC patients, a case of peritoneal metastasis secondary to LC incidentally observed by laparoscopic appendectomy is unusual. PATIENT CONCERNS: Here, we present a 53-year-old never-smoker woman who presented to the emergency department with a 2-day history of pain in the right abdominal quadrant. Later, laparoscopy revealed acute suppurative appendicitis accompanied by a peritoneal metastatic mass. DIAGNOSIS: The patient was diagnosed with PC secondary to metastatic LC complicated with acute suppurative appendicitis by immunohistochemistry. Positron emission tomography computed tomography (PET CT) findings further strengthen the evidence of PC from LC. OUTCOMES: Based on the results of genomic analysis, the patient received targeted therapy with osimertinib 80 mg/d. LESSONS: Due to the discovery of new targets, the use of molecular therapies improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), which increases the chance of identifying peritoneal metastasis of LC. For LC patients with abdominal symptoms, clinicians should be aware of the possibility of peritoneal metastasis from LC, especially for patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma or with pleural effusion.
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Adenocarcinoma del Pulmón , Apendicitis , Neoplasias Pulmonares , Neoplasias Peritoneales , Femenino , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Neoplasias Peritoneales/secundario , Apendicitis/complicaciones , Apendicitis/cirugía , Neoplasias Pulmonares/patología , Adenocarcinoma del Pulmón/complicaciones , Peritoneo/patologíaAsunto(s)
Neoplasias de la Próstata/diagnóstico , Neoplasias del Recto/diagnóstico , Errores Diagnósticos , Humanos , Calicreínas/sangre , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Antígeno Prostático Específico/sangre , Neoplasias de la Próstata/sangre , Neoplasias de la Próstata/patología , Neoplasias del Recto/sangre , Neoplasias del Recto/secundario , Recto/diagnóstico por imagen , Recto/patologíaRESUMEN
RATIONALE: Breast cancer is a common malignant tumor. The most common metastatic sites of breast cancer are the bone, brain, liver and lung, and gastrointestinal metastases are rare. Considering that the median time interval from the initial breast cancer diagnosis to stomach metastasis is 77.5 months, gastrointestinal metastases are rarely observed 10 years after primary breast cancer. PATIENT CONCERNS: Here, we present a 63-year-old female with unusual endoscopy results that revealed scattered polyps and mucosal infiltration throughout the stomach, which were later confirmed to be metastatic lobular carcinoma of the breast that had been surgically removed 10 years earlier. DIAGNOSIS: The patient was diagnosed with gastric metastases of breast cancer by immunohistochemistry. INTERVENTIONS: The patient underwent endocrine therapy with palbociclib and tamoxifen. OUTCOMES: After 1 year of endocrine therapy, the symptoms of upper abdominal discomfort and fatigue were relieved and a new gastroscopy revealed there had been no significant progression of the gastric metastasis. According to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST), the patient reached a state of stable disease. LESSONS: Gastric metastases of breast cancer are rare in the clinical setting. However, considering the possibility of gastric metastases from breast cancer and performing an upper endoscopy are crucial for patients who present with any subtle gastric symptoms and have a past medical history of breast cancer, even if the breast cancer occurred more than 10 years ago.
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Neoplasias de la Mama/patología , Carcinoma Lobular/diagnóstico , Neoplasias Gástricas/diagnóstico , Carcinoma Lobular/diagnóstico por imagen , Carcinoma Lobular/secundario , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Femenino , Gastroscopía , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Metástasis de la Neoplasia , Neoplasias Gástricas/diagnóstico por imagen , Neoplasias Gástricas/secundario , SobrevivientesRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal hemangiomas are rare benign tumors. According to the size of the affected vessels, hemangiomas are histologically classified into cavernous, capillary, or mixed-type tumors, with the cavernous type being the most common and racemose hemangiomas being very rare in the clinic. Melena of uncertain origin and anemia are the main clinical manifestations, and other presentations are rare. Due to the rarity of gastrointestinal hemangiomas and lack of specific manifestations and diagnostic methods, preoperative diagnoses are often delayed or incorrect. CASE SUMMARY: We report a 5-year-old girl who presented with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting for a duration of 10 h. The laboratory studies showed prominent anemia. Computed tomography and contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen revealed a small bowel obstruction caused by a giant abdominal mass. Segmental resection of the ileal lesions was performed through surgery, and the final pathology results revealed a diagnosis of racemose hemangioma complicated by a small bowel obstruction and simultaneous chronic anemia. CONCLUSION: The current report will increase the understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal hemangiomas and provide a review of the related literature.
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Anemia/etiología , Hemangioma/diagnóstico , Neoplasias del Íleon/diagnóstico , Obstrucción Intestinal/etiología , Melena/etiología , Preescolar , Enfermedad Crónica , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Femenino , Hemangioma/complicaciones , Hemangioma/patología , Hemangioma/cirugía , Humanos , Neoplasias del Íleon/complicaciones , Neoplasias del Íleon/patología , Neoplasias del Íleon/cirugía , Íleon/diagnóstico por imagen , Íleon/patología , Íleon/cirugía , Obstrucción Intestinal/cirugía , Laparoscopía , Melena/cirugía , Teratoma/diagnóstico , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos X , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
Diagnosis of subclinical mastitis is very important in management of the dairy industry and improvement of dairy cow productivity. S100A12, that is found in related tissues of mammals, is considered as an index for diagnosing inflammatory reaction. To evaluate whether S100A12 is involved in subclinical mastitis, milk somatic cell mRNA from 276 dairy cows was used to detect the transcriptional level of S100A12 by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. A predictive analysis for mastitis was performed, and the correlation between S100A12 and other subclinical mastitis indicators was also assessed. The transcriptional levels of S100A12 in the milk of cows with mastitis were significantly higher than those in the milk of healthy cows (p < 0.05). The correlation analysis showed that S100A12 was positively associated with the somatic cell count and the sodium and chloride concentrations of milk. In contrast, a negative correlation was found between S100A12 and the potassium concentration and pH of milk. However, no significant correlation was detected between S100A12 and the other parameters, such as protein, lactose, ash, fat, density, Ca2+ and SNF. These results suggested that the S100A12 level in milk may serve as a diagnostic tool for subclinical mastitis in cows without obvious clinical signs.
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Mastitis Bovina/diagnóstico , Leche/química , Proteína S100A12/análisis , Animales , Bovinos , China , Cloruros/análisis , Industria Lechera , Femenino , Concentración de Iones de Hidrógeno , Leche/citología , Potasio/análisis , ARN Mensajero , Reacción en Cadena en Tiempo Real de la Polimerasa , Sodio/análisisRESUMEN
Colorectal cancer is cancer of the colon or rectum and is the third most prevalent form of cancer. Currently, there are several shortcomings in the prognosis and early detection of colon cancer. The present study aims to address questions pertaining to the role of microRNA (miR)-137 in colon cancer progression and the mode of regulation. The endogenous and over-expressed levels of miR-137 in three colon cancer cell lines were assessed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The MTT assay was used to assess cell proliferation. Cell migration and invasion assays were assessed using Transwell apparatus and Matrigel invasion chambers. The potential targets of miR-150 were predicted using TargetScan software, and one of the best scoring targets, transcription factor 4 (TCF4), was experimentally validated using western blot analysis and RT-qPCR. It was found that that miR-137 is expressed at extremely low levels in COLO205, HCT116 and SW480 cell lines. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were inhibited subsequent to transfection of the colon cancer cell lines with miR-137. Using bioinformatics analysis, the best scoring putative targets were identified. One such target, TCF4, was experimentally validated, and it was shown that overexpression of miR-137 suppresses TCF4 in all three colon cancer cell lines. In conclusion, it was shown that miR-137 inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion in colon cancer cell lines by negatively regulating the expression of TCF4.
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OBJECTIVES: To evaluate four 5'-UTRs on GFP expression in HEK293T cells. RESULTS: The recombinant plasmids were constructed by restriction enzyme digestion, digestion and DNA sequencing. Quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting results showed that the transcription and translation level of PPRV-GFP mRNA was significantly lower than that of the other reporters. The transcription and translation level of ChEF1-GFP was the highest in HEK293T cells. CONCLUSIONS: Different UTRs can significantly affect protein expression. Additionally, the findings also will be useful in biological applications that require tuning of gene expression and system optimization.
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Regiones no Traducidas 5'/genética , Expresión Génica/genética , Vectores Genéticos/genética , Proteínas Fluorescentes Verdes/genética , Proteínas Fluorescentes Verdes/metabolismo , Células HEK293 , HumanosRESUMEN
N-glycosylation is one of the most prominent and abundant posttranslational modifications of proteins. It is estimated that over 50% of mammalian proteins undergo glycosylation. However, the analysis of N-glycoproteins has been limited by the available analytical technology. In this study, we comprehensively mapped the N-glycosylation sites in the mouse brain proteome by combining complementary methods, which included seven protease treatments, four enrichment techniques and two fractionation strategies. Altogether, 13492 N-glycopeptides containing 8386 N-glycosylation sites on 3982 proteins were identified. After evaluating the performance of the above methods, we proposed a simple and efficient workflow for large-scale N-glycosylation site mapping. The optimized workflow yielded 80% of the initially identified N-glycosylation sites with considerably less effort. Analysis of the identified N-glycoproteins revealed that many of the mouse brain proteins are N-glycosylated, including those proteins in critical pathways for nervous system development and neurological disease. Additionally, several important biomarkers of various diseases were found to be N-glycosylated. These data confirm that N-glycosylation is important in both physiological and pathological processes in the brain, and provide useful details about numerous N-glycosylation sites in brain proteins.
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Encéfalo/metabolismo , Glicoproteínas/metabolismo , Proteoma , Animales , Biomarcadores/metabolismo , Biología Computacional , Glicosilación , Concentración de Iones de Hidrógeno , Masculino , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Procesamiento Proteico-Postraduccional , Proteómica , Espectrometría de Masas en TándemRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of the Sus scrofa matrix attachment region (SusMAR) on transgene expression in HEK293T cells. RESULTS: Three expression vectors with the MAR at different sites in the PiggyBac (PB) transposon vector backbone were compared: two MARs flanking the ß-galactosidase (ß-gal) expression cassette, and one at the upstream or downstream site. Bos taurus MAR (BosMAR) and a ß-gal expression cassette without MARs were the positive and negative controls, respectively. Compared to the control, ß-gal activity of all SusMAR and BosMAR vectors was significantly improved in the presence of PB transposase (PBase). However, only the downstream SusMAR and upstream BosMAR vectors showed increased expression in the absence of PBase. Expression was significantly increased in all vectors with the PBase group compared to those without the PBase group. Gene copy numbers were not increased compared to the negative control. CONCLUSIONS: SusMAR enhanced recombinant gene expression levels and stability in HEK293T cells, was not increase transgene copy number. These results could facilitate the development of vectors for stable production of therapeutic proteins.
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Vectores Genéticos , Regiones de Fijación a la Matriz/genética , Sus scrofa/genética , Transfección/métodos , Animales , Elementos Transponibles de ADN , Dosificación de Gen , Regulación de la Expresión Génica , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Plásmidos , Transgenes , beta-Galactosidasa/genética , beta-Galactosidasa/metabolismoRESUMEN
Eight new species of Trypetinae (Diptera: Tephritidae) from China are described and illustrated. The new species are Cornutrypeta chishuiensis Chen sp. nov., C. motuonia Chen sp. nov., Hoplandromyia hubeiensis Chen sp. nov., H. motuonica Chen sp. nov., Magnimyiolia disrupta Chen sp. nov., M tengchongnica Chen sp. nov., M tibetana Chen et Wang sp. nov. and M. yunnanica Chen et Wang sp. nov. Keys to the known species of the genera Cornutrypeta Han et Wang and Hoplandromyia Bezzi from the World, and the genera Magnimyiolia Shiraki from East Asia are updated and provided. C. spinifrons (Schroeder) is newly recorded from China, and the female of C. hunanica Chen et Wang is recorded, described and illustrated for the first time. Illustrations of the type of M huanana Wang and a new distribution of C. hunanica Chen et Wang are provided.
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Biodiversidad , Tephritidae/clasificación , Animales , China , Femenino , Masculino , Tephritidae/anatomía & histologíaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To explore and evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of surgical treatment for cancer of the pancreatic head. METHODS: The clinical data of 96 patients with cancer of the pancreatic head admitted in our hospital from January 2002 to December 2009 were retrospectively analyzed. pancreatoduodenectomy was performed in 48 cases, extended pancreatoduodenectomy in 30 cases, and Roux-Y cholangiojejunostomy in 18 cases. RESULTS: The 1, 2 and 3-year survival rates were 59.2%, 41.8% and 13.2%, respectively, in the patients treated with pancreatoduodenectomy, and 73.2%, 58.2% and 24.1%, respectively, in the patients treated with extended pancreatoduodenectomy. The 1, 2 and 3-year survival rates were 36.8%, 15.8% and 5.3%, respectively, in the patients with unresectable tumor who received radiotherapy and (or) chemotherapy in Roux-Y cholangiojejunostomy. The postoperative morbidity was 29.2%, 30.0% and 27.8% in the patients treated with pancreatoduodenectomy, extended pancreatoduodenectomy and Roux-Y cholangiojejunostomy, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Pancreatoduodenectomy is the most effective treatment. Extended pancreatoduodenectomy can improve the surgical resection rate, reduce the recurrence rate and improve the survival rate. Internal drainage is an important palliative measure.
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Neoplasias Pancreáticas/cirugía , Pancreaticoduodenectomía/métodos , Adulto , Anciano , Anastomosis en-Y de Roux/métodos , Femenino , Estudios de Seguimiento , Humanos , Yeyunostomía/métodos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Neoplasias Pancreáticas/mortalidad , Complicaciones Posoperatorias , Estudios Retrospectivos , Tasa de SupervivenciaRESUMEN
Mitochondrial DNA mutations have been associated with cardiovascular disease. We report here the clinical, genetic, and molecular characterization of 1 Han Chinese family with suggestively maternally transmitted hypertension. Matrilineal relatives in this family exhibited the variable degree of hypertension at the age at onset of 44 to 55 years old. Sequence analysis of entire mitochondrial DNA in this pedigree identified the known homoplasmic 4435A>G mutation, which is located immediately at the 3 prime end to the anticodon, corresponding with the conventional position 37 of tRNA(Met), and 35 other variants belonging to the Asian haplogroup B5a. The adenine (A37) at this position of tRNA(Met) is extraordinarily conserved from bacteria to human mitochondria. This modified A37 was shown to contribute to the high fidelity of codon recognition, the structural formation, and stabilization of functional tRNAs. In fact, a 40% reduction in the levels of tRNA(Met) was observed in cells carrying the 4435A>G mutation. As a result, a failure in mitochondrial tRNA metabolism, caused by the 4435A>G mutation, led to approximately 30% reduction in the rate of mitochondrial translation. However, the homoplasmic form, mild biochemical defect, and late onset of hypertension in subjects carrying the 4435A>G mutation suggest that the 4435A>G mutation itself is insufficient to produce a clinical phenotype. The other modifier factors, such as nuclear modifier genes, environmental, and personal factors may also contribute to the development of hypertension in the subjects carrying this mutation. Our findings imply that the 4435A>G mutation may act as an inherited risk factor for the development of hypertension in this Chinese pedigree.
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Pueblo Asiatico/genética , ADN Mitocondrial/genética , Predisposición Genética a la Enfermedad , Hipertensión/genética , Proteínas Mitocondriales/genética , ARN de Transferencia/genética , Adulto , Determinación de la Presión Sanguínea , Análisis Mutacional de ADN , Heterocigoto , Humanos , Hipertensión/diagnóstico , Masculino , Mutación , Linaje , Medición de RiesgoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Cancer-testis antigen (CTA) is a family of the most noticeable tumor antigens which could be potential tumor markers for cancer diagnosis. In this research we aimed to investigate the expression of SSX-1 and NY-ESO-1 mRNA, two members of the CTA family, in tissue and peripheral blood of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to assess their feasibility for the immunotherapy and diagnosis of HCC and the association of their expression levels with diverse clinical indicators. METHODS: Thirty-six north Chinese patients with HCC and 30 normal controls were enrolled in this study. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of SSX-1 and NY-ESO-1 mRNA in tumor tissues and corresponding levels in peripheral blood of patients. RESULTS: The positive rates of SSX-1 and NY-ESO-1 mRNA expression were 61.1% (22/36) and 11.1% (4/36), respectively, in cancer tissues; 38.9% (14/36) and 5.6% (2/36), respectively, in the corresponding peripheral blood samples. No positive expression of either SSX-1 or NY-ESO-1 mRNA was detected in the samples of cancer-adjacent tissues, cirrhotic tissues, normal liver tissue or the peripheral blood of control patients. No significant relationship was found between the expression of these two genes and clinical indicators such as age, gender, tumor size, extent of differentiation, serum a-fetoprotein (AFP) level or infection with hepatitis B virus (P > 0.05). The short term recurrence rate was 46.2% (6/13) in patients whose peripheral blood expressed SSX-1 mRNA, while the recurrence rate in patients with negative SSX-1 mRNA was 28.6% (4/14). CONCLUSIONS: SSX-1 and NY-ESO-1 antigens might be new potentially promising targets for antigen-specific immunotherapy for HCC. High specific expression of SSX-1 and NY-ESO-1 mRNA suggested that we could apply them as tumor markers. The short term recurrence rate was significantly higher in patients whose peripheral blood expressed SSX-1 mRNA, suggesting that SSX-1 mRNA could be used as indicator for recurrence, metastasis and prognosis of HCC.
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Antígenos de Neoplasias/genética , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/metabolismo , Neoplasias Hepáticas/metabolismo , Proteínas de la Membrana/genética , Proteínas de Neoplasias/genética , ARN Mensajero/análisis , Proteínas Represoras/genética , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Células Neoplásicas Circulantes , ARN Mensajero/sangre , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa de Transcriptasa InversaRESUMEN
Salvia miltorrhiza Bunge is a traditional Chinese medicine and has long been used for treating liver and heart diseases in China. Salvianic acid A is the main active component of Salvia miltorrhiza Bunge. In the present study, the ability of salvianic acid A in scavenging free radicals, inhibiting lipid peroxidation and mitochondrial membrane permeability transition, as well as respiration and protein thiol oxidation in rat liver mitochondria, was evaluated. The results show that salvianic acid A scavenges superoxide anions in a dose-dependent manner (IC50 52 microg/ml). Salvianic acid A could scavenge lipid free radicals and inhibit lipid peroxidation as effectively as Vitamin E. Salvianic acid A also inhibited the mitochondrial membrane permeability transition assessed as the extent of mitochondrial swelling. Salvianic acid A inhibited the oxidation of mitochondrial protein thiols involved in the mitochondrial membrane permeability transitions. We conclude that salvianic acid A is able to reduce lipid peroxidation in the mitochondrial membrane by scavenging free radicals, and inhibit mitochondrial membrane permeability transition by reducing protein thiol oxidation. These data indicated the pharmacological potential of salvianic acid A against pathological processes related to oxidative stress.
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Ácidos Cafeicos/farmacocinética , Membranas Intracelulares/fisiología , Lactatos/farmacocinética , Peroxidación de Lípido/efectos de los fármacos , Mitocondrias/metabolismo , Animales , Ácidos Cafeicos/química , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Membranas Intracelulares/efectos de los fármacos , Lactatos/química , Peroxidación de Lípido/fisiología , Masculino , Potenciales de la Membrana/efectos de los fármacos , Potenciales de la Membrana/fisiología , Mitocondrias/efectos de los fármacos , Permeabilidad/efectos de los fármacos , Ratas , Ratas Sprague-DawleyRESUMEN
1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP(+)), an inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I, has been widely used as a neurotoxin because it elicits a severe Parkinson's disease-like syndrome with elevation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and apoptotic death. Salvianic acid A (SA), isolated from the Chinese herbal medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza, is capable of protecting diverse kinds of cells from damage caused by a variety of toxic stimuli. In the present study, we investigated the protective effects of SA on MPP(+)-induced cytotoxicity in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, as well as the underlying mechanism. Treatment of SH-SY5Y cells with MPP(+) caused the loss of cell viability, and condensation and fragmentation of nuclei, which was associated with the elevation of ROS level, the increase in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and the activation of caspase-3. MPP(+) induced mitochondria dysfunction characterized by mitochondrial membrane potential loss and cytochrome c release. These phenotypes induced by MPP(+) were reversed by SA. Our results suggested that the protective effects of SA on MPP(+)-induced cytotoxicity may be ascribed to its antioxidative properties and anti-apoptotic activity via regulating the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax. These data indicated that SA might provide a useful therapeutic strategy for the treatment of progressive neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson's disease.
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1-Metil-4-fenilpiridinio/antagonistas & inhibidores , Apoptosis/efectos de los fármacos , Ácidos Cafeicos/farmacología , Lactatos/farmacología , Fármacos Neuroprotectores/farmacología , 1-Metil-4-fenilpiridinio/toxicidad , Bisbenzimidazol , Western Blotting/métodos , Caspasa 3 , Caspasas/metabolismo , Catalasa/farmacología , Línea Celular Tumoral , Núcleo Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Núcleo Celular/patología , Supervivencia Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Citocromos c/metabolismo , Ditioeritritol/farmacología , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Interacciones Farmacológicas , Citometría de Flujo/métodos , Humanos , Potenciales de la Membrana/efectos de los fármacos , Mitocondrias/efectos de los fármacos , Necrosis/inducido químicamente , Necrosis/prevención & control , Neuroblastoma , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas c-bcl-2/metabolismo , Especies Reactivas de Oxígeno/metabolismo , Reactivos de Sulfhidrilo/farmacología , Superóxido Dismutasa/farmacología , Proteína X Asociada a bcl-2RESUMEN
Rotenone, an inhibitor of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I, is a useful tool to elicit animal model of Parkinson's disease. Rotenone-induced neuronal apoptosis may contribute to the etiology of Parkinson's disease. However, the mechanism of rotenone-induced apoptosis is not fully understood. In the present study, we show that Ca2+ signaling is essential for rotenone-induced apoptosis in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. By using Fluo-3/AM and Fura-2/AM, the fluorescent calcium indicator, rotenone was found to cause a rise in intracellular free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i). The intracellular Ca2+ chelator BAPTA attenuated rotenone-induced apoptosis. Notably, Ca2+ suppression also prevented rotenone-induced apoptotic related events including reactive oxygen species production, G2/M cell cycle arrest and caspase activation, suggesting that Ca2+ signaling is upstream to these events. In the absence of extracellular Ca2+, the rotenone-induced [Ca2+]i elevation was inhibited. Further, the voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel blocker nifedipine suppressed most of the elevation of [Ca2+]i induced by rotenone. These results demonstrate that rotenone leads to an elevation in [Ca2+]i through Ca2+ influx by the opening of voltage-gated Ca2+ channel. This study of rotenone may help to elucidate the neurodegenerative mechanims in Parkinson's disease.