Abstract
Purpose:
Molecular hydrogen has been used as an antioxidant to treat many diseases in clinical and animal studies.However, the precisemechanism of molecular hydrogen remainsunclear. We have previously reportedthat intraperitoneal injection of hydrogen-rich saline (HRS)ameliorates the retina against light-induced damage in rats. In the present study, we investigated whether Sirtuin Type 1 (SirT1), a class III histone deacetylase, mediates retinal protection of HRS in rats with light-induced retinal damage.
Methods:
Male Sprague-Dawley rats were once exposed to 10000±100 lux white LED light for 3 hand treated with HRS, trans-resveratrol, EX-527 and siRNA-SirT1 for 5 days. Then SirT1 mRNA and protein were detected by quantitativeRT-PCRandwestern blot, and electroretinography and hematoxylin and eosin staining of retina were also performed.
Results:
It has been found that HRS treatment for 5 days increased the expression of SirT1, andreduced the b-wave amplitude of electroretinogram and layer number of the ONL. The SirT1 activator resveratrol mimicked the effect of HRS, and the SirT1 inhibitor EX-527 or SirT1 short interfering RNA(siRNA) inhibited the retinal protective effect of HRS. In addition, HRS increased the expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), decreasedthe expression of Bcl2-associated X protein (Bax), and cleaved caspase-3via SirT1.
Conclusions:
These results suggest that SirT1 mediates the retinal protection of HRS against light-induced damage by inhibiting apoptosis.