Figure 7.

Schematic diagram of the T. vaginalis-induced apoptotic pathway in cervical mucosal epithelial SiHa cells. T. vaginalis induces intracellular and mitochondrial ROS production in cervical mucosal epithelial SiHa cells, causing cytochrome c release from the mitochondria and activation of caspase 3. Activation of caspase molecules leads to nuclear fragmentation. T. vaginalis also suppresses NF-κB nuclear translocation and activity and initiates apoptosis in cervical mucosal epithelial cells.