Neuroprotective Effects of FGF2 and Minocycline in Two Animal Models of Inherited Retinal Degeneration.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to study the effect of minocycline and several neurotrophic factors, alone or in combination, on photoreceptor survival and macro/microglial reactivity in two rat models of retinal degeneration.

Methods: P23H-1 (rhodopsin mutation), Royal College of Surgeon (RCS, pigment epithelium malfunction), and age-matched control rats (Sprague-Dawley and Pievald Viro Glaxo, respectively) were divided into three groups that received at P10 for P23H-1 rats or P33 for RCS rats: (1) one intravitreal injection (IVI) of one of the following neurotrophic factors: ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), or basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2); (2) daily intraperitoneal administration of minocycline; or (3) a combination of IVI of FGF2 and intraperitoneal minocycline. All animals were processed 12 days after treatment initiation.

Shared and Differential Retinal Responses against Optic Nerve Injury and Ocular Hypertension.

Glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide, affects primarily retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons. The pathophysiology of glaucoma is not fully understood, but it is currently believed that damage to RGC axons at the optic nerve head plays a major role. Rodent models to study glaucoma include those that mimic either ocular hypertension or optic nerve injury.

Apoptotic Retinal Ganglion Cell Death After Optic Nerve Transection or Crush in Mice: Delayed RGC Loss With BDNF or a Caspase 3 Inhibitor.

Purpose: To investigate retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival and activation of caspase 3 after optic nerve crush (ONC) or transection (ONT) and treatment with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) or Z-DEVD_fmk.

Methods: In albino Swiss mice, the left optic nerve was severed or crushed at 0.5 mm from the optic head and retinas were analyzed from 1 to 10 days.