Korean J Ophthalmol.  1998 Dec;12(2):77-84. 10.3341/kjo.1998.12.2.77.

Iron-induced cytotoxicity in cultured rat retinal neurons

• Sohn J
• Yoon YH

• KMID: 1043979
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3341/kjo.1998.12.2.77

Abstract

Oxidative stress has been proposed as a major injury mechanism in the central nervous system including the retina. In this study, as an initial attempt to study the mechanism of oxidative injury in the retina, we developed a cell culture model by utilizing the iron exposure paradigm. Exposure of rat retinal cultures for 24 hours to 10-40 MicroM ferrous or ferric chloride induced a concentration-dependent death of retinal neurons but not of photoreceptors or astrocytes. An antioxidant, trolox effectively attenuated the iron-induced death of neurons and photoreceptors in a dose-dependent manner whereas neither glutamate receptor antagonists nor cycloheximide were protective. Of retinal interneurons, GABAergic neurons were more vulnerable to the iron toxicity than calbindin (+) horizontal neurons. These findings show that iron exposure induces anti-oxidant-sensitive neuronal injury in retinal culture, independent of the excitotoxic or the apoptotic mechanisms. Of retinal neurons, different cell types exhibit differential vulnerabilities to the iron-induced oxidative injury. This simplified culture model system may be useful in elucidating mechanisms of oxidative injury in the retina.

MeSH Terms

Animal
Animals, Newborn
Apoptosis/genetics
Apoptosis/drug effects
Cells, Cultured/drug effects
Comparative Study
DNA Fragmentation/drug effects
Ferric Compounds/toxicity*
Free Radical Scavengers/metabolism
GABA/metabolism
Oxidative Stress
Photomicrography
Photoreceptors/pathology
Photoreceptors/metabolism
Photoreceptors/drug effects
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Retinal Ganglion Cells/pathology
Retinal Ganglion Cells/metabolism
Retinal Ganglion Cells/drug effects*
Substances: ferric chloride
Substances: GABA
Substances: Free Radical Scavengers
Substances: Ferric Compounds