[Protective effects of ligustrazine against photoreceptor cell injury induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea and its mechanism].
OBJECTIVE
To study the protective effect of ligustrazine against photoreceptor cell injury induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.


METHODS
Ligustrazine injections of different doses were injected intraperitoneally into 47-day female SD rats once a day and a single intraperitoneal injection of MNU 60 mg x kg(-1) was given to 50-day rats. At different intervals after MNU treatment,the animals were sacrificed. The apoptotic index of photoreceptor cells was calculated by TUNEL labeling at 24 h following MNU treatment; peripheral retinal damage was evaluated based on retinal thickness at the d 7 after MNU treatment, and the expression of c-jun and c-fos genes was detected by RT-PCR technique.


RESULTS
Ligustrazine injection could remarkably increase total thickness of peripheral retina and decrease apoptotic index of photoreceptor cells induced by MNU in a dose-dependent manner. Compared with MNU-treated rats, the gene expression of c-jun and c-fos was time-dependently down-regulated in ligustrazine-treated group.


CONCLUSIONS
Ligustrazine injection partially protects against MNU-induced retinal damage by down-modulating the expression of c-jun and c-fos genes to inhibit apoptosis of photoreceptor cells.
Yang
Jin-nan
JN
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2. The Third Affiliated Hospital, Xinxiang Medical College, Xinxiang 453003, China. jinnan1@21cn.com
Xu
Jian-gong
JG
Chen
Jin-mao
JM
Lin
Shao-chun
SC
Luo
Lin
L
Hu
Shi-xing
SX
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D016762:Genes, fos; D016758:Genes, jun; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D030004:Ligusticum / Q000737:chemistry; D008770:Methylnitrosourea; D010786:Photoreceptor Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D020419:Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D011719:Pyrazines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
D020011:Protective Agents; D011719:Pyrazines; D008770:Methylnitrosourea; C017953:tetramethylpyrazine