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Published on: January 12, 2016
Serotonin and apoptosis: studies on rat lymphocytes
Jasminka Stefulj1, Sanjica Jakopec, Maja Osmak
1Department of Molecular Genetics, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia.
Objective:
The apoptogenic potential of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) on mitogen-stimulated lymphocytes was studied in primary cultures of rat spleen cells, in two sets of experiments.
Methods:
Apoptosis was measured by morphologic criteria and flow cytometry.
Results:
In both assays, serotonin, at a concentration producing half-maximal inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation, significantly increased the basal levels of apoptosis.
Conclusion:
An apoptotic mechanism should be taken into account when considering immunoinhibition induced by serotonin.
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