Abstract: The aim is to investigate the relationship between female gonad toxicity of chlorpromazine on rat and the apoptosis of granulosa cells. Immature ovarian granulosa cell of Wistar rat was primary cultured, cells were cultured and treated with different concentration chlorpromazine(0, 0.1, 1, 10 μmol/L) for 24 h. After exposured to chlorpromazine 24 h, cell viability was detected by MTT assay, apoptotic cells were identified microscopically by chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation with Hoechest 33258, mRNA expressions of Bax, Bcl-2 and P53 were determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase Chain reaction (RT-PCR). Compared to control group, chlorpromazine could inhibit the proliferation of ovarian granulosa cell (P<0.01) in a concentration-dependent way. RT-PCR detection showed that chlorpromazine upregulated the mRNA expression of Bax, P53 and the mRNA ratio of Bax/Bcl-2. Compared with control group, the differences between relevant indicators was statistically significant(P＜0.01) except Bax and Bax/Bcl-2 of low group. Chlorpromazine may serve as an important endocrine disrupting medicine, mediating rat granulose cell apoptosis in vitro. The effect is bidirectional and concentration dependent.

Key words: chlorpromazine; ovary granulosa cells; cell viability; apoptosis