Resveratrol Suppresses Ocular Inflammation in Endotoxin-Induced Uveitis

Abstract

Purpose: : Resveratrol is known as one of the dietary polyphenols found in red wine and grape skin. It has been reported that resveratrol prevents tumorigenesis and aging; however, the effect of resveratrol on ocular pathology still remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory role of resveratrol in endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU).

Methods: : Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was intraperitoneally injected to six-week-old male C57/B6 mice to induce EIU. Animals were orally pretreated with resveratrol at the dose of 50mg/kg five days until LPS injection. Twenty-four hours after LPS administration, leukocyte adhesion to the retinal vasculature was evaluated with the concanavalin A lectin perfusion-labeling technique. Retinal protein levels of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 and monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 were examined by ELISA.

Results: : Administration of resveratrol significantly (P < 0.05) reduced leukocyte adhesion to the retinal vessels of EIU mice by 60%. In addition, the EIU animals treated with resveratrol showed a significant decrease in retinal ICAM-1and MCP-1, which were upregulated by LPS treatment.

Conclusions: : Resveratrol suppressed leukocyte adhesion as well as inflammatory molecules in the EIU model. The current data suggest the potential use of resveratrol as a therapeutic agent to reduce ocular inflammation.

Keywords: inflammation • oxidation/oxidative or free radical damage • cell adhesions/cell junctions