Antiglaucoma Potential of β-Glucogallin Is Mediated by Modulating Mitochondrial Responses in Experimentally Induced...

The use of phytochemicals for the treatment of various bodily ailments has been in practice since ancient days. Even though in practice, scientific studies on the protective effect of β-glucogallin (BG) against glaucoma is limited.

In the present study, the in vitro glaucoma model (hydrostatic pressure) using PC12 neuronal cells exposed to BG were used to elucidate its protective effects.

The cultured cells were analyzed for the mitochondrial responses, oxidant-antioxidant status, and expression of caveolin-1, ANGPTL7, the glaucoma markers, and cytokines.

We demonstrated a significant increase in the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein, ANGPTL7, with altered mitochondrial enzymes in glaucoma cells compared to the control. Moreover, cells predisposed to hydrostatic pressure demonstrated an increase in oxidative stress with augmented (p < 0.01) inflammatory cytokines such as IL-2, CXCR4, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, and TNF-α. On the other hand, cells pretreated with BG attenuated the reactive oxygen species levels with improved antioxidant enzymes. Simultaneously, the levels of inflammatory cytokines and ANGPTL7 proteins were found attenuated with restored mitochondrial responses in BG pretreated cells.

Thus, the results of the present study demonstrate that the use of BG on retinal cells against relieving the intraocular pressure may be a promising therapeutic for controlling the disease progression.