CHANGES IN ENDOTHELIN RECEPTOR A EXPRESSION IN A RAT MODEL OF OCULAR HYPERTENSION

Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in developed countries and is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. The most common and currently only treatable symptom associated with glaucoma is an increase in intraocular pressure (pressure inside the eye). Rodent models have been routinely used to understand the effects elevated pressure has on the eye, and this study focuses on the changes in expression of a protein molecule (endothelin A receptor) within the retina due to elevated intraocular pressure in a rat model of elevated intraocular pressure. Purpose (a): The endothelin system of peptides and their receptors have been implicated for their neurodegenerative role in glaucoma. The purpose of this study was to determine changes in ETA receptor expression within the retina in the Morrison’s elevated IOP model of glaucoma in rats. Methods (b): IOP was elevated in the left eye of adult male retired breeder Brown Norway rats using the Morrison’s model of glaucoma (by injection of hypertonic saline through episcleral veins) while the contralateral eye served as the control. The rats were maintained for two to four weeks following IOP elevation and sacrificed. Retinal sections were obtained from both control and IOP-elevated eyes, and analyzed for changes in ETA receptor expression using immunohistochemistry. ETA receptor immunostaining was co-localized with β-III-Tubulin, which is selectively expressed in retinal ganglion cells. Results (c): After two weeks, rat eyes with IOP elevation showed an increase in immunostaining for ETA receptors in several retinal layers including the inner and outer plexiform layers with a modest increase in the retinal ganglion cell layer. Following four weeks of IOP elevation, ETA receptor expression was modestly increased in the inner and outer plexiform layers of the retina, compared to that in the corresponding contralateral eyes. Conclusions (d): Elevated intraocular pressure results in a time-dependent change in ETA receptor expression. Increased ETA receptor expression is associated with neurodegenerative changes in glaucoma.