[The effect of cyclooxygenase inhibitors on the course of hereditary retinal dystrophy in RCS rats]

Daily administration of acetyl salicylic acid (ASA) and ibuprofen leads to an appreciable retardation in the process of retinal degeneration in the RCS rat which is dependent on the dosage given. The photoreceptor cell nuclei and inner segments are relatively well preserved in all regions of the retina. While the outer nuclear layer of 32 day old RCS rats is usually composed of only 3-4 rows, we found 8-9 nuclear rows exhibiting minimal pyknotic change in animals which had been treated with higher doses of ASA. These differences in layer thickness could be confirmed using morphometric analysis. The outer segments show evidence of degenerative change although they are in a clearly better condition than those found in untreated animals and in those animals treated at lower dose. Phagolysosomal structures which are not otherwise apparent in this strain of rat are detected only in the RPE cells of animals treated with higher dose. The animals treated with ibuprofen show essentially the same morphological changes although a corresponding effect in regard to the thickness of the outer nuclear layer was only achieved after a high dose. The determined dose for the optimal preservation (thickness) of the outer nuclear layer lies around 160 mg/kg body weight for acetyl salicylic acid and at 400 mg/kg body weight for ibuprofen.