Abstract
Oxidative reactions are thought to be a major cause of light-induced retinal degeneration. This study was designed to investigate the effects of hydrogen-rich saline (HRS) on the prevention and treatment of light-induced retinal injury in rats. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided randomly into three groups: light damage, HRS prevention (5 ml/kg, 30 min before intensive light exposure), and HRS treatment (5 ml/kg per day for 5 days, after intensive light exposure), respectively. The right eye of each rat was exposed to 5000 lux constant white light-emitting diode (LED) light for 3 h, and the left eye was covered to serve as the blank control. Electroretinograms were recorded 5 days later, and the thickness of the outer nuclear layer (ONL) was measured after hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. The results showed that the electroretinogram b-wave amplitudes and the mean ONL thicknesses of rats were significantly greater in the HRS prevention (P < 0.001) and treatment (P < 0.001) groups than in the light damage. These results indicated that peritoneal injection of HRS provides protection and treatment against light-induced retinal degeneration in rats.
Highlights
Photoreceptors are sensitive to a wide range of light conditions and intensive visible light exposure can lead to photoreceptor degeneration through phototoxic mechanisms [1,2]
There is a natural balance between oxidants and antioxidants to maintain normal retinal function and prevent free radical damage, but excessive free radical production during intensive light exposure is considered to play a major role in the pathogenesis of retinal light damage [7,8]
Whether injected hydrogen is effective in protecting the retina against light-induced damage is still unknown; in particular, in vivo evidence is lacking
Summary
Photoreceptors are sensitive to a wide range of light conditions and intensive visible light exposure can lead to photoreceptor degeneration through phototoxic mechanisms [1,2]. Retinal damage caused by light exposure can be reduced by various types of antioxidants, such as ascorbate [9], dimethylthiourea [10], thioredoxin [11,12], and NG-nitroL-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME) [13,14]. As a novel antioxidant, has been shown to exert protective effects on transplantation-induced intestinal graft injury [16], chronic liver inflammation [17], vestibular hair cells [18], as well as regional myocardial ischemia and reperfusion [19]. The protective effect of HRS on small intestine ischemia-reperfusion injury has been revealed possibly by reduction of inflammation and oxidative stress [20]. The effect of HRS on retinal light damage in rats was investigated in the present study
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
