Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Resveratrol protects the retina from I/R injury by inhibiting RGCS apoptosis, glial activation and expression of inflammatory factors

Jinyu Xia¹, Xiaolu Yang², Weiai Chen³

¹Department of Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University; ²Department of Pharmacy, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao Municipal Hospital of Shandong Province; ³Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Huangdao Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qingdao, PR China.

For correspondence:- Weiai Chen Email: hinkj0@163.com

Accepted: 26 May 2020 Published: 30 June 2020

Citation: Xia J, Yang X, Chen W. Resveratrol protects the retina from I/R injury by inhibiting RGCS apoptosis, glial activation and expression of inflammatory factors. Trop J Pharm Res 2020; 19(6):1221-1226 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v19i6.16

© 2020 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To study the protective effect of resveratrol against retinal injury induced by ischemia-reperfusion (I/R), and the underlying mechanism action.

Methods: Retinal I/R injury was established in 72 healthy male SD rats. The rats were assigned to 3 groups: control, model and resveratrol groups, with 24 rats in each group. Pathological changes in retina were determined using H&E staining. Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) were counted using fluorescence gold retrograde staining. Western blotting was used to assay the expressions of caspase-3, Bax, Bcl-2, GFAP, COX-2 and iNOS. The expressions of COX-2 and iNOS were measured by immunofluorescence.

Results: The retina in the control group was dense and ordered, and its morphology was normal. In contrast, the retina in the model group was thinner, with loose cells and disordered structure. In the resveratrol group, the retina was thicker, the structure was orderly, and the cells were dense. Relative to control, the population of RGCs in model rat retina was significantly reduced, and the expressions of Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3, GFAP, COX-2 and iNOS were significantly upregulated (p < 0.05). In the resveratrol group, the number of RGCs in the retina was markedly elevated, relative to model rats, and the expressions of Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3, GFAP, COX-2 and iNOS were significantly decreased (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Resveratrol protects the retina from I/R injury in rats by inhibiting RGCs apoptosis, glial activation and expressions of inflammatory factors. Thus, this compound may be potentially suitable for the management of retina damage.

Keywords: Resveratrol, RGCs apoptosis, Glial activation, Inflammatory factors, I/R injury