Journal of Pharmacological Sciences (Jan 2003)

Retinal Neurotoxicity of Nitric Oxide Donors With Different Half-Life of Nitric Oxide Release: Involvement of N-Methyl-D-aspartate Receptor

  • Kazue Takahata,
  • Hiroshi Katsuki,
  • Toshiaki Kume,
  • Ken Ito,
  • Yoshinaga Tochikawa,
  • Shizuko Muraoka,
  • Fumio Yoneda,
  • Satoshi Kashii,
  • Yoshihito Honda,
  • Akinori Akaike

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1254/s1347-8613(19)32643-x
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 92, no. 4
pp. 428 – 432

Abstract

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We compared the degree of neurotoxic outcome in the retina exposed to three nitric oxide (NO) donors with different half-life of NO release. Intravitreal injection of NO donors resulted in a significant decrease in cell density in the ganglion cell layer and thinning of the inner plexiform layer in a half-life time-dependent manner. Concurrent injection of an NO-trapping reagent with an NO donor abolished NO donor-induced retinal damage. (+)-MK-801 also prevented NO-induced retinal damage, indicating that N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors are partly involved in NO-induced neurodegeneration. These results may be relevant to a pathogenic role of NO — glutamate receptor in several ophthalmic disorders.