Azithromycin Protects Retinal Glia Against Oxidative Stress-Induced Morphological Changes, Inflammation, and Cell...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Retinal glia reactivity to oxidative stress significantly impacts retinal pathobiology.
• Reactive glia undergo morphological changes and secrete inflammatory and neurotoxic factors.
• Protecting glial health against oxidative stress is vital for retinal homeostasis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate azithromycin's protective effects against oxidative stress in retinal microglia and Müller glia.
• To evaluate azithromycin's impact on oxidative stress-induced morphological changes, inflammation, and cell death.

Main Methods:

• Oxidative stress induced by H₂O₂ in BV-2 (microglia) and MIO-M1 (Müller glia) cells.
• Intracellular oxidative stress measured by DCFDA and DHE staining.
• Morphological changes assessed using ImageJ; inflammation by ELISA (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6); cell death by MTT, AO/PI, and trypan blue assays; reactive gliosis by GFAP immunostaining.

Main Results:

• Azithromycin pretreatment inhibited H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress in both cell types.
• Azithromycin reduced oxidative stress-induced morphological alterations (surface area, perimeter, circularity).
• Azithromycin suppressed inflammation and cell death in glial cells.

Conclusions:

• Azithromycin demonstrates significant antioxidant and cytoprotective effects in retinal glial cells.
• Azithromycin mitigates oxidative stress-induced inflammation and cell death pathways.
• Azithromycin represents a potential pharmacological intervention for preserving retinal glial health under oxidative stress.