title: Aminoguanidine protects against apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells in Zucker diabetic fatty rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The inhibition of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and the receptor for AGEs (RAGE) mediated downstream signaling pathways have been suggested to have retinoprotective actions in diabetic retinopathy. Herein, we examined the protective effects of aminoguanidine (AG), an AGEs inhibitor, on diabetes-induced injury of retinal ganglion cells in the Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven-week-old male ZDF rats were treated with AG (50 mg/kg body weight) once a day orally for 13 weeks. Serum and vitreous concentration of AGEs were examined. Expressions of AGEs and its receptor (RAGE) were assessed by immunohistochemistry. Southwestern histochemistry was used to detect activated nuclear factor (NF)-κB.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of the study, vitreal levels of AGEs were significantly reduced in ZDF rats treated with AG. Similary, immunohistochemical analysis showed that AG significantly reduced the positive areas for AGEs and RAGE. Furthermore, AG strongly inhibited the loss of retinal ganglion cells by apoptosis. AG also suppressed the activation of to NF-κB.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that AG has retinoprotective properties through not only direct inhibition of AGEs formation but also downregulation of NF-κB.
authors.affiliation: Korean Medicine Based Herbal Drug Development Group, Herbal Medicine Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea. jskim@kiom.re.kr.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: C-S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Y M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D006146:Guanidines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011924:Rats, Zucker; D000067759:Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced; D006146:Guanidines; D016328:NF-kappa B; D000067759:Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; C004479:pimagedine