Neuroprotective effects of apigenin on retinal ganglion cells in ischemia/reperfusion: modulating mitochondrial dynamics in in vivo and in vitro models

作者：Jiawen Wu, Jiawen Wu, Daowei Zhang, Jufeng Li, Jufeng Li, Ting Li, Jihong Wu, Jihong Wu, Shenghai Zhang · 发表于：Journal of Translational Medicine · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1186/s12967-024-05260-1 · 被引用次数：23 · 研究领域：Flavonoids in Medical Research、Retinal Diseases and Treatments、Traditional Chinese Medicine Analysis

BACKGROUND: Retinal ischemia/reperfusion (RIR) is implicated in various forms of optic neuropathies, yet effective treatments are lacking. RIR leads to the death of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and subsequent vision loss, posing detrimental effects on both physical and mental health. Apigenin (API), derived from a wide range of sources, has been reported to exert protective effects against ischemia/reperfusion injuries in various organs, such as the brain, kidney, myocardium, and liver. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of API and its underlying mechanisms on RGC degeneration induced by retinal ischemia/reperfusion (RIR). METHODS: An in vivo model was induced by anterior chamber perfusion following intravitreal injection of API one day prior to the procedure. Meanwhile, an in vitro model was established through 1% oxygen and glucose deprivation. The neuroprotective effects of API were evaluated using H&E staining, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), Fluoro-Gold retrograde labeling, and Photopic negative response (PhNR). Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was employed to observe mitochondrial crista morphology and integrity. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of API, the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, flow cytometry assay, western blot, cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay, JC-1 kit assay, dichlorofluorescein-diacetate (DCFH-DA) assay, as wel...