title: Influence of glutathione on the electroretinogram in diabetic and non-diabetic rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of glutathione on the electroretinogram (ERG) in diabetic and non-diabetic rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Streptozotocin (STZ: 60 mg/kg) was injected into male RCC Wistar rats to induce hyperglycemia, with buffer instead of STZ injected into age-matched non-diabetic controls. After 8 weeks, ERG measurements were obtained at seven different scotopic flash intensities on the two groups of anesthetized, dark-adapted rats (controls, STZ). Following ERG measurements, eyes were enucleated for measurements of retinal/vitreous GSH and glutathione disulfide (GSSG).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Diabetic rats produced delayed b-wave ERG signals (increased implicit times), but had normal a-wave and b-wave amplitudes, a-wave implicit times, and oscillatory potentials. No differences were observed in retinal GSH or GSSG between controls and diabetics; however, correlations between GSH and all ERG parameters (with the exception of b-wave implicit times) were noted, and were not significantly altered by the presence of hyperglycemia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GSH is likely to play an important role in retinal function as assessed by the ERG, with this role not substantially altered in rats diabetic for 8 weeks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, Louisiana 71130, USA.
authors.forename: William S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: McElhatten
authors.forename: Carmina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Busu
authors.forename: Singh Yadav
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Amit
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Leskova
authors.forename: Tak Yee
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Aw
authors.forename: Norman R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003623:Dark Adaptation / Q000187:drug effects*; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004596:Electroretinography / Q000187:drug effects*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005978:Glutathione / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D005978:Glutathione