Protection of the Retinal Ganglion Cells: Intravitreal Injection of Resveratrol in Mouse Model of Ocular Hypertension

PURPOSE: To investigate the efficacy of intravitreal administration of resveratrol (RSV) in a microbead-induced high intraocular pressure (IOP) murine model for glaucoma. METHODS: Experiments were performed using adult C57BL/6JJcl mice. Polystyrene microbeads were injected into the anterior chamber to induce IOP elevation. Retinal flat-mounts and sections were assessed by immunohistochemistry to detect the expression of reactive oxygen species and acetyl-p53 in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in Müller glial cells (MGCs), and the receptor tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) in RGCs. Light cycler real-time PCR was also used for confirming gene expression of BDNF in primary cultured MGCs exposed to RSV. RESULTS: Microbeads induced high IOP followed by RGC death and axon loss. Administration of RSV rescued RGCs via decreased reactive oxygen species generation and acetyl-p53 expression in RGCs and upregulated BDNF in MGCs and TrkB expression in RGCs, which exhibited a strong cytoprotective action against cell death through multiple pathways under high IOP. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that administration of RSV may delay the progress of visual dysfunction during glaucoma and may therefore have therapeutic potential.