Abstract
Purpose: :
Recently, the bile acid, tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), has been shown to have anti-apoptotic properties in neurodegenerative diseases, including photoreceptor degeneration seen in retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Previous studies showed preservation of rods and cones in the rd10 mouse. This study examined whether TUDCA will preserve cones in the fast degenerating rd1 mouse model.
Methods: :
Rd1 mice received daily intraperitoneal injections of TUDCA (500 mg/kg; n = 19) or vehicle (0.15 M NaHCO3, 1ml/kg; n = 18) beginning at postnatal day 6 (P6) and ending at P21. At P21, retinal function was measured with light adapted electroretinograms (ERG). Eyes were processed for histology to assess cone survival with photoreceptor counts and immunohistochemistry.
Results: :
TUDCA-treated rd1 mice had 50% greater ERG b-wave amplitudes compared to vehicle-treated mice (ANOVA p<0.001). The number of photoreceptors in TUDCA-treated rd1 mice was approximately twice that in vehicle-treated mice.
Keywords: neuroprotection • retinal degenerations: hereditary • taurine