Event Abstract Back to Event The neuroprotective effects of urocortin in bilateral common carotid occlusion induced retinal degeneration Klaudia Szabo1*, Krisztina Szabadfi1, Tamas Atlasz1, Dóra Reglődi2, Peter Kiss2, Bese Danyadi2, Andrea Tamas2, Eva M. Fekete3, Eric P. Zorrilla3 and Robert Gabriel1 1 Department of Experimental Zoology and Neurobiology , University of Pecs, Hungary 2 Department of Anatomy, Medical School, University of Pecs, Hungary 3 The Scripps Research Institute , United States Urocortin 2 (Ucn 2) is corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) paralog that preferentially activates CRF2 receptors. Ucns exert CRF2-mediated cytoprotective effects against ischemia-reperfusion injury in cardiomyocytes. However, little is known regarding potential retinoprotective effects of Ucns despite the known presence of CRF family peptides and their receptors in retina. Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of intravitreal Ucn 2 administration on ischemia-induced retinal degeneration. Two-month-old rats were subjected to bilateral common carotid artery occlusion, and their retinas were processed histologically after two weeks survival to determine the density of viable cells in the ganglionic cell layer and the thickness of all retinal layers. Immunohistological analysis of PKC-, calretinin-immunoreactivity was also performed. In vehicle-treated subjects, carotid occlusion reduced retina thickness by approximately 60% as compared to sham-operated animals. In contrast, intraocular Ucn 2 treatment led to a nearly intact appearance of the retinal layers, and the thickness of all layers was significantly increased by 40% compared to ischemic vehicle-treated subjects. Ucn 2 treatment also increased the number of cells by 55% in the ganglionic cell layer as compared to those from carotid-occluded retinas of vehicle-treated subjects. Ucn 2 also reversed the alterations found in the pattern of immunocytochemical markers, such as calretinin and PKC. These findings suggest that intraocular Ucn 2 treatment may protect against ischemia-induced retinal degeneration, results with potential therapeutic implications for ophthalmic diseases. Support: OTKA: K72592; F67830; 78480; T061766; Richter Conference: 12th Meeting of the Hungarian Neuroscience Society, Budapest, Hungary, 22 Jan - 24 Jan, 2009. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Pathophysiology and neurology - degenerative disorders Citation: Szabo K, Szabadfi K, Atlasz T, Reglődi D, Kiss P, Danyadi B, Tamas A, Fekete EM, Zorrilla EP and Gabriel R (2009). The neuroprotective effects of urocortin in bilateral common carotid occlusion induced retinal degeneration. Front. Syst. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: 12th Meeting of the Hungarian Neuroscience Society. doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.01.2009.04.175 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 05 Mar 2009; Published Online: 05 Mar 2009. * Correspondence: Klaudia Szabo, Department of Experimental Zoology and Neurobiology , University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary, kriszta.szabadfi@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Klaudia Szabo Krisztina Szabadfi Tamas Atlasz Dóra Reglődi Peter Kiss Bese Danyadi Andrea Tamas Eva M Fekete Eric P Zorrilla Robert Gabriel Google Klaudia Szabo Krisztina Szabadfi Tamas Atlasz Dóra Reglődi Peter Kiss Bese Danyadi Andrea Tamas Eva M Fekete Eric P Zorrilla Robert Gabriel Google Scholar Klaudia Szabo Krisztina Szabadfi Tamas Atlasz Dóra Reglődi Peter Kiss Bese Danyadi Andrea Tamas Eva M Fekete Eric P Zorrilla Robert Gabriel PubMed Klaudia Szabo Krisztina Szabadfi Tamas Atlasz Dóra Reglődi Peter Kiss Bese Danyadi Andrea Tamas Eva M Fekete Eric P Zorrilla Robert Gabriel Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.