title: Astaxanthin attenuates the apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells in db/db mice by inhibition of oxidative stress.
abstract: Diabetic retinopathy is a common diabetic eye disease caused by changes in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). It is an ocular manifestation of systemic disease, which affects up to 80% of all patients who have had diabetes for 10 years or more. The genetically diabetic db/db mouse, as a model of type-2 diabetes, shows diabetic retinopathy induced by apoptosis of RGCs. Astaxanthin is a carotenoid with powerful antioxidant properties that exists naturally in various plants, algae and seafood. Here, astaxanthin was shown to reduce the apoptosis of RGCs and improve the levels of oxidative stress markers, including superoxide anion, malondialdehyde (MDA, a marker of lipid peroxidation), 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG, indicator of oxidative DNA damage) and MnSOD (manganese superoxide dismutase) activity in the retinal tissue of db/db mouse. In addition, astaxanthin attenuated hydrogen peroxide(H2O2)-induced apoptosis in the transformed rat retinal ganglion cell line RGC-5. Therefore, astaxanthin may be developed as an antioxidant drug to treat diabetic retinopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200092, China. donglingyan_nj@yeah.net
authors.forename: Ling-Yan
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Gao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Xiao-Li
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D024341:Xanthophylls / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D024341:Xanthophylls; C005948:astaxanthine; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide