Carnosic acid slows photoreceptor degeneration in the Pde6brd10 mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa

The photoreceptor cell death associated with the various genetic forms of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is currently untreatable and leads to partial or complete vision loss. Carnosic acid (CA) upregulates endogenous antioxidant enzymes and has proven neuroprotective in studies of neurodegenerative mode...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kang, Kai, Tarchick, Matthew J., Yu, Xiaoshan, Beight, Craig, Bu, Ping, Yu, Minzhong
Format: Online
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2016
Online Access:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4785376/
Description
Summary:The photoreceptor cell death associated with the various genetic forms of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is currently untreatable and leads to partial or complete vision loss. Carnosic acid (CA) upregulates endogenous antioxidant enzymes and has proven neuroprotective in studies of neurodegenerative models affecting the brain. In this study, we examined the potential effect of CA on photoreceptor death in the Pde6brd10 mouse model of RP. Our data shows that CA provided morphological and functional preservation of photoreceptors. CA appears to exert its neuroprotective effects through inhibition of oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress.