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BDNF improves axon transportation and rescues visual function in a rodent model of acute elevation of intraocular pressure

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Abstract

Optic neuropathies lead to blindness; the common pathology is the degeneration of axons of the retinal ganglion cells. In this study, we used a rat model of retinal ischemia-reperfusion and a one-time intravitreal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) injection; then we examined axon transportation function, continuity, physical presence of axons in different part of the optic nerve, and the expression level of proteins involved in axon transportation. We found that in the disease model, axon transportation was the most severely affected, followed by axon continuity, then the number of axons in the distal and proximal optic nerve. BDNF treatment relieved all reductions and significantly restored function. The molecular changes were more minor, probably due to massive gliosis of the optic nerve, so interpretation of protein expression data should be done with some caution. The process in this acute model resembles a fast-forward of changes in the chronic model of glaucoma. Therefore, impairment in axon transportation appears to be a common early process underlying different optic neuropathies. This research on effective intervention can be used to develop interventions for all optic neuropathies targeting axon transportation.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by The Key Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China (31030036) to Shanghai. We would like to thank Ms. Jiaying Ju for technical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China

    Rui Du, Xu Wang & Shigang He

  2. Institute of Natural Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China

    Shigang He

  3. Bio-X Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China

    Shigang He

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  1. Rui Du
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Correspondence to Shigang He.

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All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest, or non-financial interest, in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript. All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted.

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Du, R., Wang, X. & He, S. BDNF improves axon transportation and rescues visual function in a rodent model of acute elevation of intraocular pressure. Sci. China Life Sci. 63, 1337–1346 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-019-1567-0

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