| 16959493 |
Beretta S, Wood JP, Derham B, Sala G, Tremolizzo L, Ferrarese C, Osborne NN: Partial mitochondrial complex I inhibition induces oxidative damage and perturbs glutamate transport in primary retinal cultures. Brain Res Brain Res Protoc. 2001 Jul;7(3):267-76.
Relevance to Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON).. Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) is a maternally inherited form of visual loss, due to selective degeneration of retinal ganglion cells. Despite the established aetiological association between LHON and mitochondrial DNA mutations affecting complex I of the electron transport chain, the pathophysiology of this disorder remains obscure. Primary rat retinal cultures were exposed to increasing concentrations of rotenone to titrate complex I inhibition. Neural cells were more sensitive than Muller glial cells to rotenone toxicity. Rotenone induced an increase in mitochondrial-derived free radicals and lipid peroxidation. Sodium-dependent glutamate uptake, which is mostly mediated by the glutamate transporter GLAST expressed by Muller glial cells, was reduced dose-dependently by rotenone with no changes in GLAST expression. Our findings suggest that complex I-derived free radicals and disruption of glutamate transport might represent key elements for explaining the selective retinal ganglion cell death in LHON. |
34(0,1,1,4) |