Zinc-desferrioxamine attenuates retinal degeneration in the rd10 mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa

Alexey Obolensky, Eduard Berenshtein, Michal Lederman, Baruch Bulvik, Ruslana Alper-Pinus, Ruth Yaul, Efrat Deleon, Itay Chowers, Mordechai Chevion, Eyal Banin*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

57 Scopus citations

Abstract

Iron-associated oxidative injury plays a role in retinal degeneration such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. The metallo-complex zinc-desferrioxamine (Zn/DFO) may ameliorate such injury by chelation of labile iron in combination with release of zinc. We explored whether Zn/DFO can affect the course of retinal degeneration in the rd10 mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa. Zn/DFO-treated animals showed significantly higher electroretinographic responses at 3 and 4.5 weeks of age compared with saline-injected controls. Corresponding retinal (photoreceptor) structural rescue was observed by quantitative histological and immunohistochemical techniques. When administered alone, the components of the complex, Zn and DFO, showed a lesser, partial effect. TBARS, a marker of lipid peroxidation, and levels of oxidative DNA damage as quantified by 8-OHdG immunostaining were significantly lower in Zn/DFO-treated retinas compared with saline-injected controls. Reduced levels of retinal ferritin as well as reduced iron content within ferritin molecules were measured in Zn/DFO-treated retinas. The data, taken together, suggest that the protective effects of the Zn/DFO complex are mediated through modulation of iron bioavailability, leading to attenuation of oxidative injury. Reducing iron-associated oxidative stress using complexes such as Zn/DFO may serve as a "common pathway" therapeutic approach to attenuate injury in retinal degeneration.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1482-1491
Number of pages10
JournalFree Radical Biology and Medicine
Volume51
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Oct 2011

Keywords

  • Free radicals
  • Iron
  • Metallo-complex
  • Oxidative stress
  • Retinal degeneration

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