Abstract
Objective To investigate the protective effect of Niacin on blood-retina barrier (BRB) in diabetic rats and related mechanism. Methods The male Wistar rats (60) were divided into control (CON) group, diabetes (DM) group and Niacin-treated (NA) group, 20 rats in each group. Rats diabetes models were induced with streptozotocin injection. Niacin (40 mg/kg·d) was administrated orally everyday in Niacin-treated group until sacrificed after 3 months. Pathological outcomes, total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were evaluated at month 3. Optical microscopy was used to observe the retinal structure. The integrity of BRB and the vascular permeability was quantified by analyzing albumin leakage using Evans blue (EB) method. The relative expressions of Claudin-5, Occludin, zonula occluden (ZO)-1 and GPR109A mRNA in rat retinas were detected by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and relative expression of GPR109A, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 by Western blot. Results Compared to CON group, the TC content was increased and HDL content was decreased in DM group (t=4.034, 5.831; P<0.05). Compared to DM group, the TC content was decreased and HDL content was increased in NA group (t=6.868, 3.369; P<0.05). The retinal structure of CON group was normal. Pathological changes were found in the DM group, such as tumescent nuclei and disorganized structures. The retinal structure of NA group was similar to the control group. Evans blue dye that the microvascular leakage in DM group was increased compared with CON group (t=24.712, P<0.05), while in NA group was decreased compared with DM group (t=16.414, P<0.05). The mRNA expression of Occludin, Claudin-5, ZO-1 in DM group were decreased compared with CON group (t=11.422, 12.638, 12.060; P<0.05), while in NA group were increased compared with DM group (t=5.278, 3.952, 8.030; P<0.05). The mRNA expression of GPR109A in NA group were increased compared with DM group (t=5.053, P<0.05). The protein expression of GPR109A, IL-6, TNF-αin DM group were increased compared with CON group (t=4.915, 11.106, 6.582; P<0.05). Compared to DM group, the protein expression of GPR109A was increased (t=5.806, P<0.05), while the protein expression of IL-6 and TNF-α were decreased (t=10.131, 5.017; P<0.05). Conclusion Niacin has the protective effect for BRB by up-regulating GPR109A expression which may suppress inflammation. Key words: Blood-retinal barrier/drug effects; Niacin/agonists; Animal experimentation
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.