Abstract:PurposeTo investigate the effects of curcumin on the development of experimental choroidal neovascularization (CNV) with underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms.MethodsC57BL/6N mice were pretreated with intraperitoneal injections of curcumin daily for 3 days prior to laser-induced CNV, and the drug treatments were continued until the end of the study. The CNV area was analyzed by fluorescein-labeled dextran angiography of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)-choroid flat mounts on day 7 and 14, and CNV leakag… Show more
“…23, 24 Of note, microglia have a controversial role in light-induced retinopathy. Although others suggested that microglia could remove apoptotic photoreceptors and cell debris in the injured retina and benefit photoreceptor survival, 25, 26 our work 27, 28 and other groups 29, 30 indicated excessive recruitment and activation of microglia could precede photoreceptor degeneration and was associated with proinflammatory and neurotoxic cytokines in the affected regions. A noteworthy fact is that no study has so far focused on the controversial role of microglia in chronic light-induced retinopathy.…”
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of visual loss after the age of 60 years, is a degenerative retinal disease involving a variety of environmental and hereditary factors. Although it has been implicated that immune system is involved in the disease progression, the exact role that microglia has is still unclear. Here we demonstrated that knockout of Ccr2 gene could alleviate photoreceptor cell death in mice retinas exposed to chronic blue light. In Ccr2−/− mice, a damaged microglia recruitment was shown in retina and this could protect the visual function in electroretinogram and alleviate the photoreceptor apoptosis, which thus helped attenuate the blue light-induced retinopathy. We further found an increased co-location of NLRP3, Iba-1, and IL-1β in fluorescence and a concomitant increased protein expression of NLRP3, caspase-1, and IL-1β in western blotting in chronic blue light-induced retinopathy. Moreover, the activation of microglia and their cellular NLRP3 inflammasomes occurred as an earlier step before the structural and functional damage of the mice retinas, which collectively supported that microglial NLRP3 inflammasome might be the key to the chronic blue light-induced retinopathy.
“…23, 24 Of note, microglia have a controversial role in light-induced retinopathy. Although others suggested that microglia could remove apoptotic photoreceptors and cell debris in the injured retina and benefit photoreceptor survival, 25, 26 our work 27, 28 and other groups 29, 30 indicated excessive recruitment and activation of microglia could precede photoreceptor degeneration and was associated with proinflammatory and neurotoxic cytokines in the affected regions. A noteworthy fact is that no study has so far focused on the controversial role of microglia in chronic light-induced retinopathy.…”
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of visual loss after the age of 60 years, is a degenerative retinal disease involving a variety of environmental and hereditary factors. Although it has been implicated that immune system is involved in the disease progression, the exact role that microglia has is still unclear. Here we demonstrated that knockout of Ccr2 gene could alleviate photoreceptor cell death in mice retinas exposed to chronic blue light. In Ccr2−/− mice, a damaged microglia recruitment was shown in retina and this could protect the visual function in electroretinogram and alleviate the photoreceptor apoptosis, which thus helped attenuate the blue light-induced retinopathy. We further found an increased co-location of NLRP3, Iba-1, and IL-1β in fluorescence and a concomitant increased protein expression of NLRP3, caspase-1, and IL-1β in western blotting in chronic blue light-induced retinopathy. Moreover, the activation of microglia and their cellular NLRP3 inflammasomes occurred as an earlier step before the structural and functional damage of the mice retinas, which collectively supported that microglial NLRP3 inflammasome might be the key to the chronic blue light-induced retinopathy.
“…These chemokines, by participating in the recruitment of macrophages, spread the degeneration to the retina (Rutar & Provis, ). The overexpression of TNF‐α, VEGF, and IL‐1β along with increased density of macrophages has been shown in excised choroidal neovascular membranes of AMD patients, as well as in laser‐induced CNV (Grossniklaus et al, ; Sheridan et al, ; Xie et al, ; Zou, Xu, & Chiou, ). These molecules may promote angiogenesis (Lavalette et al, ; Yang, Wang, Qian, Zhang, & Huang, ) and vascular hyperpermeability (Clermont et al, ).…”
Background and Purpose: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease treated by anti-VEGF intravitreal injections. As inflammation is potentially involved in retinal degeneration, the pro-inflammatory kallikreinkinin system is a possible alternative pharmacological target. Here, we investigated the effects of anti-VEGF and anti-B 1 receptor treatments on the inflammatory mechanisms in a rat model of choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Experimental Approach: Immediately after laser-induced CNV, Long-Evans rats were treated by eye-drop application of a B 1 receptor antagonist (R-954) or by intravitreal injection of B 1 receptor siRNA or anti-VEGF antibodies. Effects of treatments on gene expression of inflammatory mediators, CNV lesion regression and integrity of the blood-retinal barrier was measured 10 days later in the retina. B 1 receptor and VEGF-R2 cellular localization was assessed. Key Results: The three treatments significantly inhibited the CNV-induced retinal changes. Anti-VEGF and R-954 decreased CNV-induced up-regulation of B 1 and B 2 receptors, TNF-α, and ICAM-1. Anti-VEGF additionally reversed up-regulation of VEGF-A, VEGF-R2, HIF-1α, CCL2 and VCAM-1, whereas R-954 inhibited gene expression of IL-1β and COX-2. Enhanced retinal vascular permeability was abolished by anti-VEGF and reduced by R-954 and B 1 receptor siRNA treatments. Leukocyte adhesion was impaired by anti-VEGF and B 1 receptor inhibition. B 1 receptors were found on astrocytes and endothelial cells.Conclusion and Implications: B 1 receptor and VEGF pathways were both involved in retinal inflammation and damage in laser-induced CNV. The non-invasive, selfadministration of B 1 receptor antagonists on the surface of the cornea by eye drops might be an important asset for the treatment of AMD.
“…Although the drug-delivery of curcumin is mostly gavage [25], oral [60], or by intraperitoneal injection [61], and rarely by intravitreal injection [31], we chose intravitreal injection to achieve the effective local concentration rapidly. In addition, intravitreal injection can be used to distinguish between the treated and untreated eye of a mouse [62-66].…”
Background/Aims: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is characterized by degeneration of photoreceptors, and there are currently no effective treatments for this disease. However, curcumin has shown neuroprotectant efficacy in a RP rat and swine model, and thus, may have neuroprotective effects in this disease. Methods: Immunofluorescence staining, electroretinogram recordings, and behavioral tests were used to analyze the effects of curcumin and the underlying mechanism in retinal degeneration 1 (rd1) mice. Results: The number of apoptotic cells in the retina of rd1 mice at postnatal day 14 significantly decreased with curcumin treatment and visual function was improved. The activation of microglia and secretion of chemokines and matrix metalloproteinases in the retina were inhibited by curcumin. These effects were also observed in a co-culture of BV2 microglial cells and retina-derived 661W cells. Conclusions: Curcumin delayed retinal degeneration by suppressing microglia activation in the retina of rd1 mice. Thus, it may be an effective treatment for neurodegenerative disorders such as RP.
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