Herbal compound Naoshuantong capsule attenuates retinal injury in ischemia/reperfusion rat model by inhibiting apoptosis.

Objectives: Ischemic ophthalmopathy threatens people's lives and health. The herbal compound medication, Naoshuantong capsule, plays a critical role in the treatment of cardiac-cerebral vascular diseases; however, the roles and mechanisms of action of Naoshuantong capsule in ischemic ophthalmopathy is unknown. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect and mechanism of action of Naoshuantong capsule on ischemic ophthalmopathy in rats.

Methods: In this study a rat model of ischemic ophthalmopathy was constructed using a high intra-ocular pressure-induced ischemia/reperfusion model. The effects of Naoshuantong capsule on ischemic ophthalmopathy were detected using electroretinography, and changes in retinal ultrastructure were examined by HE staining and electron microscopy. The mechanism of action of Naoshuantong capsule on ischemic ophthalmopathy was explored by immunofluorescence and real-time PCR.

Results: Rat models of ischemic ophthalmopathy were successfully constructed by intra-ocular hypertension, which presented decreased amplitudes of the electroretinogram (ERG-b) wave and total retinal thickness, intracellular damage, increased expression of Bax and caspase 3, and decreased expression of Bcl-2. Treatment with Naoshuantong capsule attenuated the changes and damage to the ischemic retina in the rat model, inhibited the over-expression of Bax and caspase 3, and increased the expression of Bcl-2.

Conclusion: Our study indicated that Naoshuantong capsule attenuates retinal damage in rat models of ischemic ophthalmopathy, possibly by inhibiting apoptosis.