Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2016, Vol. 11 ›› Issue (11): 1851-1856.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.194758

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Nerve growth factor protects against palmitic acid-induced injury in retinal ganglion cells

Pan-shi Yan1, #, Shu Tang2, #, Hai-feng Zhang3, Yuan-yuan Guo4, Zhi-wen Zeng4, *, Qiang Wen5, *   

  1. "1 Department of Ophthalmology, First Afliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China 2 Department of Pharmacy, First Afliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China 3 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China 4 Shenzhen Mental Health Center and Shenzhen Key Lab for Psychological Healthcare, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China 5 Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China"
  • Online:2016-11-30 Published:2016-11-30
  • Contact: Qiang Wen, Ph.D., or Zhi-wen Zeng, Ph.D., qiangwen7619@163.com or zengzw1122@163.com.
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. U1304815; a grant from Key Project of Science and Technology Research of Henan Province of China, No. 132102310097.

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Abstract: Accumulating evidence supports an important role for nerve growth factor (NGF) in diabetic retinopathy. We hypothesized that NGF has a protective effect on rat retinal ganglion RGC-5 cells injured by palmitic acid (PA), a metabolic factor implicated in the development of diabetes and its complications. Our results show that PA exposure caused apoptosis of RGC-5 cells, while NGF protected against PA insult in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, NGF signifcantly attenuated the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in RGC-5 cells. Pathway inhibitor tests showed that the protective effect of NGF was completely reversed by LY294002 (PI3K inhibitor), Akt VIII inhibitor, and PD98059 (ERK1/2 inhibitor). Western blot analysis revealed that NGF induced the phosphorylation of Akt/FoxO1 and ERK1/2 and reversed the PA-evoked reduction in the levels of these proteins. Tese results indicate that NGF protects RGC-5 cells against PA-induced injury through anti-oxidation and inhibition of apoptosis by modulation of the PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 signaling pathways.

Key words: nerve regeneration, RGC-5 cells, palmitic acid, nerve growth factor, apoptosis, PI3K, Akt, FoxO1, ERK1/2, neural regeneration