Objective To study the effect of advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) on human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. Methods Human primary RPE cells were cultured in basal and different concentrations of AGEs with different times. The cells were divided into several groups as follows: group C (control): bovine serum albumin 0.1 g/L, 24 hours (C1) and 48 hours (C2); group NC (normal control): basal culture medium with 5.6 mmol/L of glucose, 24 hours (NC1) and 48 hours (NC2); group A (AGEs): 0.1 g/L, 24 hours and 48 hours, A1 and A4; 0.2 g/L, 24 hours and 48 hours, A2 and A5; 0.4 g/L, 24 hours and 48 hours, A3 and A6. Immunohistochemistry analysis was used to study the protein expression of receptor for AGEs (RAGE), peroxisome proliferativeactivated receptor-gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PCG -1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein. The activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) was detected by confocal microscope. Software IPP6.0 and SPSS 17.0 were used to analyze the quantitation data. Results Immunohistochemistry analysis showed that RAGE protein, PGC-1α protein and VEGF protein were basally secreted in RPE cells, but AGEs can obviously increases the expression level of these proteins (F=294.5, 228.3, 241.5; P＜0.05). Confocal microscope demonstrated that AGEs increased the activation of NF-κB significantly. Conclusion Accumulation of AGEs can stimulate the expression of RAGE protein, PGC-1α protein and VEGF protein, activation of NF-κB and induce apoptosis of RPE cells.
Objective To investigate the effects of knocking down Rac1 gene (ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1) by small hairpin RNA (shRNA) on retinal neovascularization in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). Methods One hundred and eight 7-day-old C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups randomly.The OIR was induced by Smith protocol in 2 groups. OIR mice received an intravitreal injection of Rac1-shRNA plasmid or the nonsense plasmid in the geneintervention group and control group respectively at the age of postnatal day 11 (P11). Non-OIR mice also received an intravitreal injection of Rac1-shRNA plasmid at P11 as the blankintervention group which lived in the normoxic environment.Retinal neovascularization was investigated on flat-mounts after fluorescence angiography at P15 and P17. Endothelial cell nuclei breaking through the internal limiting membrane were counted on pathological section at P17.The expression of Rac1 and NF-kappa;B p65 subunit was measured by immuohistochemistry, Western blot, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and in situ hybridization. Results Compared with the blank-control group,the level of Rac1 mRNA in the gene-intervention group decreased obviously（t=4.500，P=0.001）;the retinal non-perfusion areas,fluorescence leakage, neovascularization and the number of endothelial cell nuclei breaking through the internal limiting membrane were reduced significantly（t=6.521,P＜0.001）; the level of NF-kappa;B p65 nuclear translocation decreased（t=16.008,P＜0.001）while the expression of NF-kappa;B p65 mRNA was reduced obviously（t=3.354,P=0.006）, which was positively correlated with the expression of Rac1-mRNA (P=0.012).Conclusion Intravitreal injection of Rac1-shRNA with liposome in mice can effectively inhibit the expression of Rac1,and inhibit the retinal neovascularization under relative hypoxia via blocking the ROS-NF-kappa;B pathway.
Objective To investigate the expression of nuclear factor (NF)-κB and intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 in rat′s retina injured by ischemia-reperfusion, and the effect of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) on the expression of NF-κB and ICAM-1. Method The model of retinal ischemia-reperfusion was set up in 60 SD rats, which were divided into two groups with 30 rats in each: ischemia-reperfusion group and ischemia-reperfussion with injection of PDTC group. The left cephalic artery of each rat was ligated, and the right side was the control. Every group was subdivided into group 1 hour, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours after ischemia-reperfusion injury, and with 5 rats in each group. mRNA of NF-κB and ICAM-1 mRNA was measured by in situ hybridization (ISH) method in rat′s retina. Every rat underwent electroretinography (ERG) at the corresponding time before executed by neck breaking. Results In ischemia-reperfusion group, expression of NF-κB and ICAM-1 was detected at the 6th hour after ischemia-reperfusion, reached the highest level at the 24th hour, and weakened gradually later. In ischemia-reperfusion with injection of PDTC group, expression of NF-κB and ICAM-1 was detected at the 12th hour after ischemia-reperfusion, and reached the highest level at the 24th hour but lower than that in ischemia-reperfusion group. No expression of NF-κB and ICAM-1 was found in the control group. The relative recovery rate of ERG a and b wave amplitude in ischemia-reperfusion groups was lower than that in ischemia-reperfusion with injection of PDTC group at every stage(P＜0.01 ). The lowest relative recovery rate of ERG a and b wave amplitude in different stages in both of the 2 groups was at the 24th hour(P＜0.01). Conclusions NF-κB and ICAM-1 may play an important role in retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury, as the inhibitor of NF-κB, PDTC may relieve the retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis，2004，20：175-178)
Objective To detect expression of NF-κB in the inner retina and in vestigate the inhibitoryeffect of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate on retinal neovascularization in rats. Methods The rat models with retinopathy were set up un der the hypoxia condition, and fluorescein fundus angiography (FFA) was used to observe the retinal neovascularization. The expressions of NF-κB in the inner retina in rats with and without neovascularization were detected by immunohisto chemical method. PDTC was intraperitoneally injected in rats with neovascularization to observe the expression of NF-κB in the inner retina and the effect on retinal neovascularization. Results Hypoxia induced NF-κB activation in the retinal glial cells and endothelial cells. But immuno-staining intensity for NF-κB and adhesion molecules were reduced by PDTC intraperitoneal injection. Retin al angiogenesis in rats were suppressed effectively (P＜0.05). Conclusions NF-κB activation correlates with retinal neovascularization closely. PDTC may inhibit the NF-κB activation and prove beneficial in the treatment of ischemic neovascularization. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis，2003，19：201-268)
Immuno-fluorescence technique can qualitatively determine certain nuclear translocation, of which NF-κB/p65 implicates the activation of NF-κB signal pathways. Immuno-fluorescence analysis software with independent property rights is able to quantitatively analyze dynamic location of NF-κB/p65 by computing relative fluorescence units in nuclei and cytoplasm. We verified the quantitative analysis by Western Blot. When we applied the software to analysis of nuclear translocation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced (0.5 h, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h) primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), we found that nuclear translocation peak showed up at 2h as with calculated Western blot verification results, indicating that the inventive immuno-fluorescence analysis software can be applied to the quantitative analysis of immuno-fluorescence.