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Objective: To explore the effect of Bushen Huoxue Compound (BHC) on lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage, expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF mRNA in retinal Muller cells under high glucose condition or advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) condition by using serum pharmacological method., Methods: The retinal Müller cells of 5-7 days post-natal Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were cultured with modified enzyme-digestion method. Purified retinal Muller cells were cultured in normal conditions, high glucose condition (50 mmol/L) or AGEs (50 mg/L and 100 mg/L) conditions, and BHC-containing serum was added to culture medium. The LDH leakage and VEGF expressions were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, the relative expression of VEGF mRNA was tested by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)., Results: Compared with the normal control group, expressions of VEGF and VEGF mRNA were significantly increased in the high glucose group, the low dose AGEs group and the high dose AGEs group (all P < 0.01). The LDH leakage was obviously increased in the high dose AGEs group, when compared with the normal control group and the high glucose group (P < 0.01). The LDH leakage, expressions of VEGF and VEGF mRNA were obviously decreased by BHC-containing serum both in high glucose and AGEs conditions (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). BHC-containing serum had no significant effect on the LDH leakage and expressions of VEGF and VEGF mRNA in normal conditions (P > 0.05)., Conclusions: AGEs intervention could obviously lower the stability of Müller cell membrane. Up-regulated expressions of VEGF and VEGF mRNA in cultured Müller cells could be induced by AGEs or high glucose. BHC-containing serum could stabilize the stability of Müller cell membrane, inhibit the transcription of VEGF mRNA and decrease the protein expression of VEGF, which might be one of important mechanisms for preventing and treating diabetic retinopathy.

Objective: To establish the inner blood-retinal barrier (BRB) model in vitro by co-culturing RF/6A cells and C6 cells and to investigate the effects of EMP (200 kV/m, 200 pulses) exposure on the permeability of the inner BRB model in vitro., Methods: RF/6A cells and C6 cells were co-cultured on transwell, and the characteristic of the inner BRB model was assessed by detecting transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) and the permeability of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The co-cultured model was exposed or sham exposed to the EMP (200 kV/m 200 pulses) for 0.5, 3, 6, 12, 24 h in vitro, then TEER and the permeability of HRP were measured for studying the effects of EMP on the permeability of inner BRB model in vitro., Results: TEER value (145 Ωcm(2)) of the co-culturing inner BRB model significantly increased, as compared to that of RF/6A cells alone model (P < 0.05) on the 6th day after inoculation. There was significant difference of permeability of HRP between the co-culturing inner BRB model and RF/6A cells alone model (P < 0.05). The ability of inhibiting large molecular materials in the co-culturing inner BRB model enhanced. The TEER value decreased and the permeability of HRP increased as compared to the sham group at 0.5, 3, 6 h after the exposure., Conclusion: The inner BRB model by co-culturing RF/6A cells and C6 cells in vitro is efficient and suitable to study the alterations of the restricted permeability function of the inner BRB. EMP (200 kV/m for 200 pulses) could induce the enhanced permeability of the inner BRB model in vitro.

Objective: To investigate the impacts of steady high-glucose or fluctuated glucose conditions on glutamate (Glu) release in purified retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) cultured in vitro, and the effect of serum contained Chinese drugs for nourishing Shen and activating blood (S-NSAB) on it., Methods: RGCs of neonatal SD rats were cultured by antibody combined two-step purified method in different conditions: the simulated normal condition, the steady high-glucose condition and the fluctuated glucose condition, and they were intervened with S-NSAB. Thereby, the experiment was carried out in 6 groups, i.e. the normal control group (A), the S-NSAB intervened group (B), the steady high-glucose cultured group (C), the steady high-glucose cultured and S-NSAB intervened group (D), the fluctuated glucose cultured group (E), and the fluctuated glucose cultured and S-NSAB intervened group (F). Content of Glu in the extracellular fluid was detected at 24, 48 and 72 h after intervention with a full-automatic biochemical analyzer. And the data obtained were statistically analyzed with SPSS 13.0 soft ware., Results: Release of Glu at 24 h after intervention in Group E (256.33 +/- 25.73 mg/L) was obviously higher than that in Group A and Group C (134.22 +/- 9.14 mg/L and 141. 17 +/- 22.13 mg/L, P < 0.05); at 24 h and 72 h in Group B (124.50 +/- 10.30 mg/L and 30. 17 +/- 2.97 mg/L) was obviously lower than in Group A respectively (P < 0.05); in Group D at 24 h (127.50 +/- 16.94 mg/L), 48 h (26.17 +/- 3.99 mg/L) and 72 h (27.67 +/- 3.49 mg/L) were lower than in Group C; in Group F at 24 h (228.33 +/- 18.41 mg/L) and 72 h (28.00 +/- 2.41 mg/L) were lower than in Group E respectively at the corresponding time points., Conclusions: Fluctuated glucose condition could obviously increase the Glu release of RGCs, to cause extracellular large amount Glu accumulation, which induces the exciting neurotoxicity to RGCs and finally to aggravate the injury on cells. S-NSAB could reduce the Glu release to some extent in the steady-high or fluctuated glucose conditions, diminish the injury of RGCs from exciting neurotoxicity of Glu, and it might be one of the intervening pathways of Chinese drugs for NSAB in preventing and treating DRP.

Objective: To investigate the effect of serum contained Chinese drugs for nourishing Shen and activating blood (S-NSAB) on activity of purified retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) cultured in high glucose medium., Methods: Purified RGCs of SD rats were cultured in stimulative stable high glucose (50 mmol/L) condition (SHG) and fluctuated glucose condition (FGC) separately, they were intervened with S-NSAB, and the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage was detected by spectrophotometer for estimating the activity of RGCs., Results: LDH leakage (U/L) in SHG culture was 1 349.17 +/- 215.50 at 24 h, 1220.24 +/- 124.53 at 48 h and 1982.14 +/- 219.03 at 72 h, all significantly lower than that in normal control at the corresponding time points (1628.10 +/-122.10, 1484.13 +/- 127.55 and 2155.75 +/- 140.44, respectively, P<0.05), whereas it was obviously higher in FGC culture at 72 h (2299.60 +/- 88.35), showing that LDH leakage in FGC was significantly higher than that in SHG at the corresponding time points (P<0.05). The LDH leakage was obviously decreased by Chinese medicine intervention with S-NSAB both in SHG at 72 h (1797.62 +/- 146.40) and in FGC at 48 h (1259.92 +/- 87.74) and 72 h (1940.40 +/- 155.47), the difference between pre- and post-intervention was significant (P<0.05)., Conclusion: Fluctuated glucose conditions of culture medium could obviously damage the membranous stability of RGCs to enhance their permeability and lower the activity of cells; S-NSAB could improve these abnormalities in either SHG or FGC condition, which may be one of the important mechanisms of Chinese formula for nourishing Shen and activating blood in preventing and treating diabetic retinopathy.