Systemic taurine treatment affords functional and morphological neuroprotection of photoreceptors and restores retinal pigment epithelium function in RCS rats
The aim of our work was to study whether taurine administration has neuroprotective effects in dystrophic Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats, suffering retinal degeneration secondary to impaired retinal pigment epithelium phagocytosis caused by a MERTK mutation. Dystrophic RCS-p + female rats (n =...
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Elsevier
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Redox Biology |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231722002786 |
| _version_ | 1811198493078847488 |
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| author | Ana Martínez-Vacas Johnny Di Pierdomenico Alejandro Gallego-Ortega Francisco J. Valiente-Soriano Manuel Vidal-Sanz Serge Picaud María Paz Villegas-Pérez Diego García-Ayuso |
| author_facet | Ana Martínez-Vacas Johnny Di Pierdomenico Alejandro Gallego-Ortega Francisco J. Valiente-Soriano Manuel Vidal-Sanz Serge Picaud María Paz Villegas-Pérez Diego García-Ayuso |
| author_sort | Ana Martínez-Vacas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The aim of our work was to study whether taurine administration has neuroprotective effects in dystrophic Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats, suffering retinal degeneration secondary to impaired retinal pigment epithelium phagocytosis caused by a MERTK mutation. Dystrophic RCS-p + female rats (n = 36) were divided into a non-treated group (n = 16) and a treated group (n = 20) that received taurine (0.2 M) in drinking water from postnatal day (P)21 to P45, when they were processed. Retinal function was assessed with electroretinogram. Retinal morphology was assessed in cross-sections using immunohistochemical techniques to label photoreceptors, retinal microglial and macroglial cells, active zones of conventional and ribbon synaptic connections, and oxidative stress. Retinal pigment epithelium function was examined using intraocular fluorogold injections. Our results document that taurine treatment increases taurine plasma levels and photoreceptor survival in dystrophic rats. The number of photoreceptor nuclei rows at P45 was 3–5 and 6–11 in untreated and treated animals, respectively. Electroretinograms showed increases of 70% in the rod response, 400% in the a-wave amplitude, 30% in the b-wave amplitude and 75% in the photopic b-wave response in treated animals. Treated animals also showed decreased numbers of microglial cells in the outer retinal layers, decreased glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression in Müller cells, decreased oxidative stress in the outer and inner nuclear layers and improved maintenance of synaptic connections. Treated animals showed increased FG phagocytosis in the retinal pigment epithelium cells. In conclusion, systemic taurine treatment decreases photoreceptor degeneration and increases electroretinographic responses in dystrophic RCS rats and these effects may be mediated through various neuroprotective mechanisms. |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2213-2317 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T01:31:24Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Redox Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-1574450e4ef4420baaddb04cbc8590f12022-12-22T03:53:27ZengElsevierRedox Biology2213-23172022-11-0157102506Systemic taurine treatment affords functional and morphological neuroprotection of photoreceptors and restores retinal pigment epithelium function in RCS ratsAna Martínez-Vacas0Johnny Di Pierdomenico1Alejandro Gallego-Ortega2Francisco J. Valiente-Soriano3Manuel Vidal-Sanz4Serge Picaud5María Paz Villegas-Pérez6Diego García-Ayuso7Departamento de Oftalmología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca (IMIB-Virgen de la Arrixaca), Murcia, SpainDepartamento de Oftalmología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca (IMIB-Virgen de la Arrixaca), Murcia, SpainDepartamento de Oftalmología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca (IMIB-Virgen de la Arrixaca), Murcia, SpainDepartamento de Oftalmología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca (IMIB-Virgen de la Arrixaca), Murcia, SpainDepartamento de Oftalmología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca (IMIB-Virgen de la Arrixaca), Murcia, SpainSorbonne Universités, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, FranceDepartamento de Oftalmología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca (IMIB-Virgen de la Arrixaca), Murcia, SpainDepartamento de Oftalmología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca (IMIB-Virgen de la Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain; Corresponding author. Laboratorio de Oftalmología Experimental, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria-Virgen de la Arrixaca, Edificio LAIB Planta 5a, Carretera Buenavista s/n, 30120 El Palmar, Murcia, Spain.The aim of our work was to study whether taurine administration has neuroprotective effects in dystrophic Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats, suffering retinal degeneration secondary to impaired retinal pigment epithelium phagocytosis caused by a MERTK mutation. Dystrophic RCS-p + female rats (n = 36) were divided into a non-treated group (n = 16) and a treated group (n = 20) that received taurine (0.2 M) in drinking water from postnatal day (P)21 to P45, when they were processed. Retinal function was assessed with electroretinogram. Retinal morphology was assessed in cross-sections using immunohistochemical techniques to label photoreceptors, retinal microglial and macroglial cells, active zones of conventional and ribbon synaptic connections, and oxidative stress. Retinal pigment epithelium function was examined using intraocular fluorogold injections. Our results document that taurine treatment increases taurine plasma levels and photoreceptor survival in dystrophic rats. The number of photoreceptor nuclei rows at P45 was 3–5 and 6–11 in untreated and treated animals, respectively. Electroretinograms showed increases of 70% in the rod response, 400% in the a-wave amplitude, 30% in the b-wave amplitude and 75% in the photopic b-wave response in treated animals. Treated animals also showed decreased numbers of microglial cells in the outer retinal layers, decreased glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression in Müller cells, decreased oxidative stress in the outer and inner nuclear layers and improved maintenance of synaptic connections. Treated animals showed increased FG phagocytosis in the retinal pigment epithelium cells. In conclusion, systemic taurine treatment decreases photoreceptor degeneration and increases electroretinographic responses in dystrophic RCS rats and these effects may be mediated through various neuroprotective mechanisms.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231722002786TaurineRetinal degenerationRCSMerktRPEMicroglia |
| spellingShingle | Ana Martínez-Vacas Johnny Di Pierdomenico Alejandro Gallego-Ortega Francisco J. Valiente-Soriano Manuel Vidal-Sanz Serge Picaud María Paz Villegas-Pérez Diego García-Ayuso Systemic taurine treatment affords functional and morphological neuroprotection of photoreceptors and restores retinal pigment epithelium function in RCS rats Redox Biology Taurine Retinal degeneration RCS Merkt RPE Microglia |
| title | Systemic taurine treatment affords functional and morphological neuroprotection of photoreceptors and restores retinal pigment epithelium function in RCS rats |
| title_full | Systemic taurine treatment affords functional and morphological neuroprotection of photoreceptors and restores retinal pigment epithelium function in RCS rats |
| title_fullStr | Systemic taurine treatment affords functional and morphological neuroprotection of photoreceptors and restores retinal pigment epithelium function in RCS rats |
| title_full_unstemmed | Systemic taurine treatment affords functional and morphological neuroprotection of photoreceptors and restores retinal pigment epithelium function in RCS rats |
| title_short | Systemic taurine treatment affords functional and morphological neuroprotection of photoreceptors and restores retinal pigment epithelium function in RCS rats |
| title_sort | systemic taurine treatment affords functional and morphological neuroprotection of photoreceptors and restores retinal pigment epithelium function in rcs rats |
| topic | Taurine Retinal degeneration RCS Merkt RPE Microglia |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231722002786 |
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