ENDOGENOUS GLUCOCORTICOIDS PARTICIPATE IN RETINAL DEGENERATION DURING CONTINUOUS ILLUMINATION

LÓPEZ EM, JULIÁN LK, CAPANI F, CYMERYNG CB, COIRINI H, LÓPEZ-COSTA JJ.

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE.

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Año: 2009 vol. 118 p. 1703 - 1725

0020-7454

Continuous illumination (CI) induces an oxidative stress of the retina whichis involved in light-induced retinal degeneration (LIRD). As the increase ofglucocorticoids (GC) could also collaborate in the damage, adrenalectomized(ADX) and sham-operated rats (control, CTL) were submitted to CI, and theireyes were studied at light and electron microscopic levels. After CI, ADX retinas were significantly thicker than CTL retinas. Retinal alterations appeared earlier andwere severer in CTL than in ADX retinas. Corticosterone levels increased graduallyin the sera of CTL rats along CI. These results suggest that adrenalectomy attenuatesLIRD, supporting the hypothesis.