Enriched Environment Protects the Optic Nerve from Early Diabetes-Induced Damage in Adult Rats

摘要: Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of reduced visual acuity and acquired blindness. Axoglial alterations the distal (close to chiasm) optic nerve (ON) could be first structural change pathway in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes rats. We analyzed effect environmental enrichment on axoglial ON provoked by experimental diabetes. For this purpose, three days after vehicle or STZ injection, animals were housed enriched environment (EE) remained standard (SE) for 6 weeks. Anterograde transport, retinal morphology, axons (toluidine blue staining phosphorylated neurofilament heavy immunoreactivity), microglia/macrophages (ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1) astrocyte reactivity (glial fibrillary acid protein-immunostaining), myelin (myelin basic protein ultrastructure, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels assessed non-diabetic diabetic SE EE. No differences morphology ganglion cell number observed among groups. EE housing which did not affect STZ-induced weight loss hyperglycemia, prevented decrease anterograde transport from retina superior colliculus, axon number, immunoreactivity. Moreover, an increase Iba-1 immunoreactivity, reactivity, as well ultrastructural portion at early stages In addition, avoided BDNF induced These results suggest that neuroprotection pathway.