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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
Morphometric Analyses of Retinal Sections
Published on: February 19, 2012
Neuroprotective effect of citicoline on retinal cell damage induced by kainic acid in rats
Yong Seop Han1, In Young Chung, Jong Moon Park
1Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Korea.
Purpose:
To examine whether citicoline has a neuroprotective effect on kainic acid (KA)-induced retinal damage.
Methods:
KA (6 nmol) was injected into the vitreous of rat eyes. Citicoline (500mg/kg, i.p.) was administered to the rats once before and twice a day after KA-injection for 3- and 7-day intervals. The neuroprotective effects of citicoline were estimated by measuring the thickness of the various retinal layers using hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining. In addition, immunohistochemistry was conducted to elucidate the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS).
Results:
Morphometric analysis of retinal damage in KA-injected eyes showed significant cell loss in the inner nuclear layer (INL) and inner plexiform layer (IPL) of the retinas at 3 and 7 days after KA injection, but not in the outer nuclear layer (ONL). At 3 days after citicoline treatment, no significant changes were detected in the retinal thickness and immunoreactivities of eNOS and nNOS. The immunoreactivities of eNOS and nNOS increased in the retina at 7 days after the KA injection. However, prolonged treatment for 7 days significantly attenuated the immunoreactivities and the reduction of thickness.
Conclusions:
The results indicate that citicoline has a neuroprotective effect on KA-induced neurotoxicity in the retina.
