Protective effect of retinal stem cell transplantation on retinal ganglion cells in glaucoma

Gu Zhi-min; Zhou Li-xiao; Qi Ruo

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2095-4344.2016.28.015

Abstract：BACKGROUND:Stem cel transplantation is a new method for blinding eye disease. But there is a lack of research about the protective effect of retinal stem cel transplantation on retinal ganglion cel s in glaucoma. OBJECTIVE:To explore the protective effect of retinal stem cel transplantation on retinal ganglion cel s of rats with glaucoma. METHODS:Forty-five Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups (n=15 per group) including control, model and retinal stem cel transplantation groups. Rat models of glaucoma were prepared in the latter two groups, and at 7 days after modeling, rats in the three groups were given intravitreal injection of 1 mL retinal stem cel s (5x106 cel s), the same amount of PBS, and no treatment, respectively. Subsequently, relative indicators were detected at 2 weeks after transplantation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The expressions of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and insulin-like growth factor I protein as wel as the number of retinal ganglion cel s were the highest in the control group, fol owed by the retinal stem cel transplantation group model group, and the lowest in the model group (P<0.05). The number of apoptotic retinal ganglion cel s in model group was significantly higher than that of control group (P<0.05), and which in the retinal stem cel transplantation group was significantly lower than that in the model group (P<0.05), but higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). These results suggest that retinal stem cel transplantation for rat glaucoma can exert a protective effect on retinal ganglion cel s.