Ocular Application of Nerve Growth Factor Protects Degenerating Retinal Ganglion Cells in a Rat Model of Glaucoma
| Autor: | Valentina Sposato, Vincenzo Parisi, Marco Coassin, Alessandro Lambiase, Simona Rossi, Matteo Antonio Russo, Valeria Colafrancesco, Luigi Aloe |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2011 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Retinal Ganglion Cells Retinal degeneration ngf-receptor medicine.medical_specialty Intraocular pressure genetic structures Administration Topical Blotting Western Glaucoma Cell Count Giant retinal ganglion cells neurotrophins Receptor Nerve Growth Factor Retinal ganglion Rats Sprague-Dawley Tonometry Ocular chemistry.chemical_compound Ophthalmology Nerve Growth Factor medicine Animals intraocular pressure (iop) Receptor trkA Intraocular Pressure business.industry Retinal Degeneration retinal ganglion cell (rgc) ngfreceptor glaucoma (gl) Retinal medicine.disease Immunohistochemistry eye diseases Rats Disease Models Animal Nerve growth factor chemistry Nerve Degeneration Optic nerve sense organs Ophthalmic Solutions business |
| Popis: | Elevated intraocular pressure is a crucial pathologic event for the development of glaucoma (GL). We have reported that nerve growth factor (NGF) reaches retinal cells and the optic nerve (ON) when applied to the eye. Whether ocular application of NGF prevents or reduces damage to retinal ganglion cell (RGC) is not known.GL was induced in adult rats by the injection of hypertonic saline into the episcleral vein of the right eye and the left eye used as control. Rats were then treated daily with ocular application of NGF or vehicle solution for 7 weeks. Retinal and ON tissues were then used for structural, immunohistochemical, and biochemical studies.The injection of hypertonic saline into the episcleral vein led to progressive degeneration of RGCs, with the loss of nearly 40% of these cells after 7 weeks of treatment. This cellular loss is associated with the downregulation of NGF and NGF-receptor expression in the retina and ON of the glaucomatous eye and ocular treatment with NGF significantly reduced the deficit induced by GL.These findings indicate that NGF can exert protective action on RGC degeneration occurring in glaucomatous retina. We suggest that ocular NGF treatment might be a suitable pharmacologic approach to investigate protective mechanisms of degenerating RGCs. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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