Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGFs) under blue light conditions in an in vivo model of retinal degeneration. Methods: Male Wistar rats were exposed to dark/blue light conditions for 9 days. On day 7, right eyes were injected with saline and left eyes with PRGF. Electroretinography (ERG) and intraocular pressure (IoP) measurements were performed before and after the experiment. After sacrifice, retinal samples were collected. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed to analyze the structure of retinal sections. Immunofluorescence for brain-specific homeobox/POU domain protein 3A (Brn3a), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), rhodopsin, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was performed to study the retinal conditions. Results: Retinal signaling measured by ERG was reduced by blue light and recovered with PRGF; however, IoP measurements did not show significant differences among treatments. Blue light reduced the expression for Brn3a, ChAT, and rhodopsin. Treatment with PRGF showed a recovery in their expressions. HO-1 and GFAP results showed that blue light increased their expression but the use of PRGF reduced the effect of light. Conclusions: Blue light causes retinal degeneration. PRGF mitigated the injury, restoring the functionality of these cells and maintaining the tissue integrity.
Highlights
The role of artificial light in retinal degeneration has been gaining attention as a possible risk factor [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
ERG results showed that the electrical signal at day 10 was lower compared to those obtained on day 0 in every group except for plasma rich in growth factors (PRGFs), which had a similar response at both timepoints
The retinas of the four experimental groups stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) were analyzed using ImageJ software to quantify the length from ganglion cells layer to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) by taking five different measurements along the retina, and means were calculated
Summary
The role of artificial light in retinal degeneration has been gaining attention as a possible risk factor [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. Blue light is known to increase the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) These molecules involve a deregulation of the main enzymes of the retinal metabolism present in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, producing a progressive interruption of ATP production, thereby promoting cell death. This can lead to a decrease in the number of visual cells, inducing a reduction in their functionality and, loss of vision. The aim of this work was to check if PRGF can protect the visual function in situ by preserving neuronal cells in the retina, such as ganglion cells and photoreceptors, against the action of damaging insults from blue light
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
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
