Sex steroids inhibit osmotic swelling of retinal glial cells.
Osmotic swelling of glial cells may contribute to the development of retinal edema. We investigated whether sex steroids inhibit the swelling of glial somata in acutely isolated retinal slices and glial cells of the rat. Superfusion of retinal slices or cells from control animals with a hypoosmolar solution did not induce glial swelling, whereas glial swelling was observed in slices of postischemic and diabetic retinas. Progesterone, testosterone, estriol, and 17beta-estradiol prevented glial swelling with half-maximal effects at approximately 0.3, 0.6, 6, and 20 microM, respectively. The effect of progesterone was apparently mediated by transactivation of metabotropic glutamate receptors, P2Y1, and adenosine A1 receptors. The data suggest that sex steroids may inhibit cytotoxic edema in the retina.
Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Florian
F
Neumann
Antje
A
Wurm
Regina
R
Linnertz
Thomas
T
Pannicke
Ianors
I
Iandiev
Peter
P
Wiedemann
Andreas
A
Reichenbach
Andreas
A
Bringmann
D000818:Animals; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004487:Edema / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015640:Ion Channel Gating; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D009995:Osmosis; D051381:Rats; D012160:Retina / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000502:physiology
D015220:Calcium Channels; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D015222:Sodium Channels