J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  1998 Oct;39(10):2377-2384.

NADPH Diaphorase Staining Retinal Cells in Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Rat Retina

• Lee SJ
• Huh K

Abstract

Nitric oxide(NO) is a free radical which serves a wide variety of functions on vascular tone, neurotransmission, immune cytotoxicity, and many others. Nitric oxide synthase(NOS) is the biosynthetic enzyme of NO and colocalized with NADPH diaphorase(NADPH-d) activity in many tissues. The author aimed to assess the changes that occur in this populations of neurons in the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat where the retinal vasculature is known to be dysfunctional. The 8 rats was a diabetic group and the other 8 was a control group. Diabetes was induced with a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin(65mg/kg). Four weeks later, the retina was flat mounted and stained with NADPH-d. Counting of the stained cells was made. There was a 20.6% decrease in the total number of positively staining cells in the retinas of the diabetic group(2532+/-192) compared with those of the control group(3188+/-176)(p<0.001). It is worth to suggest the close correlation between NO released from retinal neurons and the microcirculatory dysfunction in diabetic retinopathy.

Keyword

Diabetic rat retina; NADPH diaphorase

MeSH Terms

Animals
Diabetic Retinopathy
Injections, Intraperitoneal
NADP*
NADPH Dehydrogenase*
Neurons
Nitric Oxide
Rats*
Retina*
Retinal Neurons
Retinaldehyde*
Synaptic Transmission
NADP
NADPH Dehydrogenase
Nitric Oxide
Retinaldehyde