Vitreous cavity injection with erythropoietin protects optic nerve in a rat model of diabetic retinopathy / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Diabetes can lead to many complications. Of them, retinopathy is a common type. To explore the effect of erythropoietin in diabetic retinopathy, it is necessary to establish an animal model of similar pathologic features and high reproducibility in clinical retinal neovascularization. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effect of vitreous cavity injection of erythropoietin on optic nerve of rats with diabetic retinopathy. METHODS: Rat models of diabetic retinopathy were established and injected with erythropoietin through vitreous space for 14 consecutive days. Results were compared between the model and normal control groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Transmission electron microscope compared with the model group, retinal ganglion cel nucleus presented uniform red; cel membrane was intact; endoplasmic reticulum exhibited slight swel ing. A smal number of vacuoles were found in mitochondria around the nuclei. (2) Western blot assay and RT-PCR compared with the model group, Caspase-3 and Bax protein expression was lower in the erythropoietin group (P < 0.05). Caspase-3 protein and Bcl-2 protein expression was significantly higher in the erythropoietin group than in the model group (P < 0.05). Significant differences in nuclear factor κB and Survivn gene expression were detected between the model and erythropoietin groups (P < 0.05). (3) Results verified that vitreous cavity injection of erythropoietin had neuroprotective effect on rats with diabetic retinopathy, which may be associated with the inhibitory effect on apoptosis.