Sodium nitroprusside selectively induces apoptotic cell death in the outer retina of the rat.
Sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an NO donor, was studied for its effects on apoptosis in rat retinal neurons. TUNEL-positive cells were observed in the outer nuclear layer (ONL), but not in the inner retina after SNP treatment. Inner retinal neurons died by necrosis. No photoreceptor cells were found in the ONL after seven days. Immunoblotting confirmed that neurnal NO synthase expression increased up to 5 days (approximately 170% of control levels), and then declined by 7 days, suggesting that NO induces apoptosis in the ONL, and that inner retinal neurons die by necrosis due to glutamate from damaged photoreceptors.
Ju
W K
WK
Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 505 Banpo-dong, Socho-gu, Seoul 137-701, Korea.
Chung
I W
IW
Kim
K Y
KY
Gwon
J S
JS
Lee
M Y
MY
Oh
S J
SJ
Chun
M H
MH
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000032:analysis; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development
D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; D009599:Nitroprusside; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; C496322:Nos1 protein, rat