In hypertensive retinopathy, the retinal damage due to high blood pressure is accompanied by increased expression of Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP), which indicates a role of neuroinflammatory processes in such a retinopathy. Proteins belonging to the Rho GTPase family, particularly Rac1, are involved in the activation of Müller glia and in the progression of photoreceptor degeneration, and may thus represent a novel candidate for therapeutic intervention following central nervous system inflammation. In this paper, we have observed that topical administration as eye drops of Cytotoxic Necrotizing Factor 1 (CNF1), a Rho GTPase modulator, surprisingly improves electrophysiological and behavioral visual performances in aged spontaneously hypertensive rats. Furthermore, such functional improvement is accompanied by a reduction of Rac1 activity and retinal GFAP expression. Our results suggest that Rac1 inhibition through CNF1 topical administration may represent a new strategy to target retinal gliosis.
Eye Drop Instillation of the Rac1 Modulator CNF1 Attenuates Retinal Gliosis and Ameliorates Visual Performance in a Rat Model of Hypertensive Retinopathy / Matteucci A.; Ricceri L.; Fabbri A.; Fortuna A.; Travaglione S.; Guidotti M.; Martinelli A.; Villa M.; Pricci F.; Maroccia Z.; Campana G.; Malchiodi-Albedi F.; Fiorentini C.; Loizzo S.. - In: NEUROSCIENCE. - ISSN 0306-4522. - ELETTRONICO. - 411:(2019), pp. 119-129. [10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.05.021]
Eye Drop Instillation of the Rac1 Modulator CNF1 Attenuates Retinal Gliosis and Ameliorates Visual Performance in a Rat Model of Hypertensive Retinopathy
Campana G.;
2019
Abstract
In hypertensive retinopathy, the retinal damage due to high blood pressure is accompanied by increased expression of Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP), which indicates a role of neuroinflammatory processes in such a retinopathy. Proteins belonging to the Rho GTPase family, particularly Rac1, are involved in the activation of Müller glia and in the progression of photoreceptor degeneration, and may thus represent a novel candidate for therapeutic intervention following central nervous system inflammation. In this paper, we have observed that topical administration as eye drops of Cytotoxic Necrotizing Factor 1 (CNF1), a Rho GTPase modulator, surprisingly improves electrophysiological and behavioral visual performances in aged spontaneously hypertensive rats. Furthermore, such functional improvement is accompanied by a reduction of Rac1 activity and retinal GFAP expression. Our results suggest that Rac1 inhibition through CNF1 topical administration may represent a new strategy to target retinal gliosis.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
