Figure 5.

S-Nitrosylation and activation level in caspases. Notes. ((a) and (b)) Active fragment of caspase-3 (a) and caspase-9 (b) determined in control and GDM placental tissue by Western blotting. Results are expressed as means ± SEM of active caspases to actin ratio measured by densitometry (n = 3). Lower panels are representative images of immunoblotted proteins. (c) Caspase-9 S-nitrosylation measured in both experimental groups by biotin-switch technique. Results are presented in bar charts as mean ± SEM of SNO-caspase-9 (n = 6). Lower panel is a representative image of experiment. (d) Cytotrophoblast apoptosis quantified by TUNEL technique in control and GDM placental tissue. Results are expressed as means ± SEM of desmosome protein (desm) and TUNEL-positive cells per area (mm²) (n = 7). Upper panel is a representative image of desmosome protein (red) and TUNEL (green) immunostaining. Units on graph y-axis are arbitrary. ^∗p < 0.05, GDM versus control.