Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation
5-2014
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
M.S.
Department
Pharmacology and Toxicology
Committee Chair
Cai, Lu
Subject
Fibroblast growth factors; Testis--Diseases
Abstract
Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-1 was found to protect the heart from oxidative damage, but clinically its long-term use was restricted for its undesirable proliferating activity on cells. Thus a cluster of amino acids responsible for the proliferation were deleted in the native FGF-1 to create a non-mitogenic FGF-1 (nmFGF-1). To assess whether nmFGF-1 protects male germ cells from diabetes-induced apoptotic death, the study employed a murine model of diabetes using multiple low-doses of streptozotocin, followed by nmFGF-1 treatment for 6 months. Diabetic mice showed a decrease in testicular weight and an increase in apoptotic cell death. Treatment with nmFGF-1 alleviated diabetic effects on testicular weight and apoptotic cell death. Mechanistically, nmFGF-1 alleviated diabetes-induced germ cell death by decreasing the BAX/Bcl-2 ratio, endoplasmic reticulum stress and associated cell death. Our results suggest that nmFGF-1 application prevents apoptotic cell death in testes of diabetic mice from mediation which was associated with Nrf-2 and AKT activation.
Recommended Citation
Skibba, Melissa 1990-, "Preventive effect of non-mitogenic acidic fibroblast growth factor on diabetes-induced testicular cell death." (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1337.
https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/1337
