Urocortin 2 treatment is protective in excitotoxic retinal degeneration

Szabadfi, Krisztina and Kiss, Péter and Reglődi, Dóra and Fekete, Éva and Tamás, Andrea and Dányádi, Bese and Atlasz, Tamás and Gábriel, Róbert (2014) Urocortin 2 treatment is protective in excitotoxic retinal degeneration. Acta Physiologica Hungarica, 101 (1). pp. 67-76. ISSN 0231-424X, ESSN: 1588-2683

Preview	Text Szabadfi et al. Acta Physiol Proof.pdf Download (1MB) | Preview
	Text szabadfi.pdf Restricted to Registered users only Download (411kB)

Abstract

Urocortin 2 (Ucn 2) is a corticotrop releasing factor paralog peptide with many physiological functions and it has widespread distribution. There are some data on the cytoprotective effects of Ucn 2, but less is known about its neuro- and retinoprotective actions. We have previously shown that Ucn 2 is protective in ischemia-induced retinal degeneration. The aim of the present study was to examine the protective potential of Ucn 2 in monosodiumglutamate (MSG)-induced retinal degeneration by routine histology and to investigate cell-type specific effects by immunohistochemistry. Rat pups received MSG applied on postnatal days 1, 5 and 9 and Ucn 2 was injected intravitreally into one eye. Retinas were processed for histology and immunocytochemistry after 3 weeks. Immunolabeling was determined for glial fibrillary acidic protein, vesicular glutamate transporter 1, protein kinase Cα, calbindin, parvalbumin and calretinin. Retinal tissue from animals treated with MSG showed severe degeneration compared to normal retinas, but intravitreal Ucn 2 treatment resulted in a retained retinal structure both at histological and neurochemical levels: distinct inner retinal layers and rescued inner retinal cells (different types of amacrine and rod bipolar cells) could be observed. These findings support the neuroprotective function of Ucn 2 in MSG-induced retinal degeneration.

Actions (login required)

Edit Item