Effects of eye drops of Buddleja officinalis Maxim. extract on lacrimal gland cell apoptosis in castrated rats with dry eye.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the possible mechanism of eye drops of Buddleja officinalis extract in treating dry eye of castrated rats by analyzing the expressions of Bax and Bcl-2 proteins.


METHODS
Forty-five Wistar male rats were randomly divided into sham-operated group, untreated group and eye drops of Buddleja officinalis Maxim. extract (treatment) group. The dry eye model was established with orchiectomy in the untreated group and treatment group. Rats in the treatment group were treated with eye drops of Buddleja officinalis Maxim. extract, one drop once, three times daily. Eyes of rats in the sham-operated group and untreated group were instilled with normal saline. After one-, two-, or three-month treatment, five rats in each group were scarified respectively. Then samples were taken to detect related indices. Expressions of Bax and Bcl-2 of lacrimal gland were checked by immunohistochemical method and quantity of apoptotic cells was counted.


RESULTS
After one-, two- or three-month treatment, the quantities of expressions of Bax in acinar epithelial cells and glandular tube cells were significantly lower, and those of Bcl-2 were significantly higher in the treatment group than in the untreated group, and the quantities of apoptotic cells of the treatment group were significantly lower than those of the untreated group (P<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
The main components of extract of Buddleja officinalis Maxim. are flavonoids, which can significantly inhibit cell apoptosis in lacrimal gland.
Key Department of Chinese Traditional Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410007, Hunan Province, China. yxlshh@126.com
Qing-hua
QH
Peng
Xiao-lei
XL
Yao
Quan-long
QL
Wu
Han-yu
HY
Tan
Jing-rong
JR
Zhang
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D032861:Buddleja / Q000737:chemistry*; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D007765:Lacrimal Apparatus / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism
C494828:Bax protein, rat; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein