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Abstract #53804 Published in IGR 15-2
Critical role of Nrf2 in oxidative stress-induced retinal ganglion cell death
Himori N; Yamamoto K; Maruyama K; Ryu M; Taguchi K; Yamamoto M; Nakazawa TJournal of Neurochemistry 2013; 127: 669-680
NF-E2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a key transcription factor that plays a pivotal role in endogenous protection against oxidative stress. However, the role of Nrf2 in visual disorders remains unclear. It has been reported that oxidative stress is thought of as one of the causes of glaucoma. Here, we investigate whether the function of Nrf2 in oxidative stress-induced retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death. This study used adult male Nrf2 deficient mice (Nrf2 KO) and age- and sex-matched wild-type (WT) mice. We dissociated and purified N-4-[4-didecylaminostryryl]-N-methyl-pyridinium iodide-labeled RGCs with fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and tried to detect the Nrf2 and Keap1 genes. In the absence of nerve crush (NC), the number of RGCs in Nrf2 KO mice was almost same as that in WT mice. 1-(2-cyano-3-, 12-dioxooleana-1, 9 (11)-dien-28-oyl) imidazole (CDDO-Im), an Nrf2 activator, prevented NC-induced loss of RGCs in WT mice. Seven days after NC, without treatment, the number of RGCs in Nrf2 KO mice was significantly lower than in WT mice. In addition, after CDDO-Im treatment, quantitative RT-PCR showed increased expression of antioxidant and phase II detoxifying enzymes. These results suggest that up-regulation of Nrf2 signaling after CDDO-Im treatment may be a novel therapeutic strategy for the protection of RGCs, especially in glaucoma.
Department of Ophthalmology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
Full articleClassification:
11.8 Neuroprotection (Part of: 11 Medical treatment)
3.6 Cellular biology (Part of: 3 Laboratory methods)
3.5 Molecular biology incl. SiRNA (Part of: 3 Laboratory methods)