Mengyuan Fang1, Wencui Wan1, Qiuming Li1, Weiwei Wan1, Yang Long1, Hongzhuo Liu1, Xin Yang2. 1. Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, 450052 Zhengzhou, Henan, China. 2. Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, 450052 Zhengzhou, Henan, China. Electronic address: dryangxin2020@163.com.
Abstract
AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Asiatic acid (AA), a naturally occurring compound of pentacyclic triterpenoid, on the pathological processes of diabetic retinopathy (DR). METHODS: SD rats were induced to develop early DR by intraperitoneal injection of STZ (60 mg/kg). Four weeks after injection, the diabetic rats were orally administrated with 37.5 mg/kg or 75 mg/kg AA every day for four weeks. The integrity of blood-retinal barrier (BRB) was measured by Evans blue staining. The polarization of microglia was determined by real-time PCR, western blot, and ELISA assays. The inner BRB (iBRB) or outer BRB (oBRB) breakdown was induced in human retinal endothelial cells or APRE19 cells through co-culture with high glucose and LPS-stimulated microglia BV2 cells. The damage to the iBRB and oBRB was measured using transendothelial/transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER/TER) and FITC-conjugated dextran cell permeability assays. KEY FINDINGS: Results demonstrated that AA alleviated BRB breakdown, as evidenced by decreased protein expression of occludin, claudin-5, and ZO-1. Furthermore, AA treatment suppressed inflammation and M1 polarization, while it increased M2 polarization in the retina of DR rats. In vitro, the iBRB or oBRB breakdown was alleviated by AA. LPS-induced M1-polarization of BV2 cells under high glucose condition was also repressed through AA administration. Finally, we demonstrated that AA weakened the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB p65 signaling pathway both in vivo and in vitro. SIGNIFICANCE: AA ameliorated early DR by regulating microglia polarization via the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB p65 pathway. These data indicate that AA is a potential candidate for DR treatment.
AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Asiatic acid (AA), a naturally occurring compound of pentacyclic triterpenoid, on the pathological processes of diabetic retinopathy (DR). METHODS: SD rats were induced to develop early DR by intraperitoneal injection of STZ (60 mg/kg). Four weeks after injection, the diabeticrats were orally administrated with 37.5 mg/kg or 75 mg/kg AA every day for four weeks. The integrity of blood-retinal barrier (BRB) was measured by Evans blue staining. The polarization of microglia was determined by real-time PCR, western blot, and ELISA assays. The inner BRB (iBRB) or outer BRB (oBRB) breakdown was induced in human retinal endothelial cells or APRE19 cells through co-culture with high glucose and LPS-stimulated microglia BV2 cells. The damage to the iBRB and oBRB was measured using transendothelial/transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER/TER) and FITC-conjugated dextran cell permeability assays. KEY FINDINGS: Results demonstrated that AA alleviated BRB breakdown, as evidenced by decreased protein expression of occludin, claudin-5, and ZO-1. Furthermore, AA treatment suppressed inflammation and M1 polarization, while it increased M2 polarization in the retina of DR rats. In vitro, the iBRB or oBRB breakdown was alleviated by AA. LPS-induced M1-polarization of BV2 cells under high glucose condition was also repressed through AA administration. Finally, we demonstrated that AA weakened the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB p65 signaling pathway both in vivo and in vitro. SIGNIFICANCE: AA ameliorated early DR by regulating microglia polarization via the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB p65 pathway. These data indicate that AA is a potential candidate for DR treatment.