Anti-Inflammatory Role of Omega-3 to Retinal Injury induced by Infrared Radiation

Abstract

Each ocular tissue is vulnerable to infrared (IR) since at every stage through the eye's transmission IR is absorbed. Thermal effect of IR to eyes is far more permanent although the absorption often causes cumulative damage over a long period. Nevertheless, those exposed to very significant level of IR at any one time would be aware of its heating effect and tend to protect themselves. The present work investigated the effect of IR on retina and the anti-inflammatory role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (ω -3 PUSFA). The rabbits were divided into four groups; one of them served as control, the other three groups was exposed to IR for 5, 10 and 20 minutes. Animals from these three groups were subdivided into two subgroups, one of them was sacrificed directly after IR exposure, while the other received omega-3 for 14 days before exposed to IR .The animals were subjected to examination by electroretinogram (ERG) as well as analysis of Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) for retinal protein was carried out. The results indicated decrease of b-wave amplitude and increase in the latency, in the electrophoresis pattern pronounced changes were observed. These changes were more extensive in rabbits exposed to IR than those supplemented with omega-3. These finding suggest that omega-3 can protect the retina from infrared injury for up to 10 minutes of exposure.