Article ID: FFR191202-1
Retinitis pigmentosa(RP) is an ophthalmic disease eventually leading to blindness. There is no fundamental cure. In RP there is apoptosis of photoreceptor cells caused by oxidative stress. Suppressive effects from acerola water (AW) on N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) -induced retinal degeneration in rats and hereditary retinal degeneration in C3H mice were examined experimentally. Female SD rats at 7 weeks of age were given a single i.p. injection of 50 mg/kg MNU. Distilled water (DW), and 4% or 8% AW was orally administered once daily (2mL/ rat) from 3 days before MNU injection until the day of necropsy. Eyes were collected 7 days after MNU treatment and photoreceptor cell and retinal damage ratios were calculated. The peripheral retinal photoreceptor cell ratio was significantly higher in the MNU+8%AW group compared to the MNU treated group. In eyes collected 10 or 24 hrs after MNU, immunohistochemical and TUNEL staining resulted in significantly lower numbers of γH2AX and HO-1 positive photoreceptor cells in the MNU+8%AW group 24hrs after MNU. In C3H mice given i.p. injections of DW or 4%AW (0.1mL/mouse) every other day or every day from 8 days of age until the day of necropsy, the peripheral retinal photoreceptor cell ratio was significantly higher in the 4%AW daily treated group at 13 days of age. These results confirm the suppressive effects of AW in different RP animal models. The mode of action is suggested to be suppression of retinal oxidative stress. AW could potentially be effective in suppressing of human RP.
