Journal of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9570
ISSN: 2155-9570
Fabiani Carlotta
Italy
Research Article
Changes in BDNF and MAPK Signaling Pathways in Experimental Glaucoma
Author(s): Fabiani Carlotta, Elisa Cerri, Sara Ottino, Marco Sansò and Luciano Domenici
Fabiani Carlotta, Elisa Cerri, Sara Ottino, Marco Sansò and Luciano Domenici
Glaucoma is currently recognized to be a multifactorial, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder. It is characterized by the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) loss of axons as well as optic nerve atrophy, progressive degeneration of RGCs till cell death. In this work, we used DBA/2J mice as a model of spontaneous glaucoma and we investigated the involvement of BDNF and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (MAPK) pathways in correlation with IOP elevation and progression of neurodegenerative processes in the retina of DBA/2J mice. In particular, we performed western blot analysis to study retinal levels of the BDNF and its receptor, TrkB, and to better understand possible modulation of p38 MAPK and ERK1/2 activation at different stages of retinal degeneration in DBA/2J mice. We showed that BDNF starts to decrease already at an early stage in correspondence to IOP elevation (7 months of age). .. View More»
DOI:
10.4172/2155-9570.1000530