title: Effect of adenovirus-mediated brain derived neurotrophic factor in early retinal neuropathy of diabetes in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe effect of adenovirus-mediated brain derived neurotrophic factor in early retinal neuropathy of diabetes in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult male Wistar rats, 9 weeks of age, were injected intraperitoneally with STZ to induce diabetes. Two weeks after the models were established, Ad.BDNF was administered into the vitreous cavities of rats. Four weeks after the models were set up, the rats were killed and the retina was removed for Western blotting and whole-mount immunohistochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) to observe the changes of TH and dopaminergic amacrine cells in retina.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The protein levels of TH and the number of positive staining dopaminergic amacrine cells and the staining gray scale of experimental group without Ad.BDNF were lower statistically. But there was no statistically significant difference between the experimental group with Ad.BDNF and control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the early stage of STZ diabetic, the administration of Ad.BDNF into the vitreous cavities can increase TH protein levels and the density of dopaminergic amacrine cells in the STZ rats' retina.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Ning-Ning
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Li-Min
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen