Enriched environment induces neuroprotection against visual disfunctions within experimental glaucoma in rats

DEVOUASSOUX, JD; ARANDA M; DIEGUEZ, H; DORFMAN, D; KELLER SARMIENTO M. I.; ROSENSTEIN R. E.; GONZÁLEZ FLEITAS, MARÍA F.; CALANNI,JS; CHIANELLI, M.

Cordoba

Congreso; XXXIV Reunión Anual de la SAN,; 2019

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Neurociencias

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, characterized by retinalganglion cell (RGC) loss and optic nerve (ON) damage. Increased intraocularpressure (IOP) is the most accepted risk factor for glaucomatous neuropathy,however many patients with successful IOP control continue to lose vision.Enriched environment (EE) consists of a manipulation in which animals areexposed to complex conditions through adaptations in the physical and socialenvironment. The aim of this work was to analyze whether the exposure to EE isable to prevent glaucomatous damage. Adult male Wistar rats received 30% ofchondroitin sulfate in the anterior chamber of one eye and vehicle in thecontralateral eye, once a week, and were housed in standard environment (SE) orEE for 10 weeks. Animals were subjected to functional (flash visual evoked potentials(VEPs)), and histological analysis. EE housing which did not affect IOP,prevented the disfunction in VEPs as well as the anterograde transport tovisual areas and RGC loss (assessed by Brn3a-immunoreactivity). The axon numberwas also preserved by the exposure to EE. Moreover, EE housing prevented thedecrease in the immunoreactivity for myelin basic protein and luxol fast bluestaining in the ON, as well as the increase in Iba1 (a microglia/macrophagemarker) positive area in the retina and ON. These results suggest that the EE housing protects the visual pathway against retina and optic nerve damageinduced by experimental glaucoma.