Expression of Genes for AhR and Nrf2 Signal Pathways in the Retina of OXYS Rats during the Development of Retinopathy and Melatonin-Induced Changes in This Process

• Published in: Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine 2014-08, Vol.157 (4), p.424-429
• Main Authors: Perepechaeva, M. L., Stefanova, N. A., Grishanova, A. Yu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aging - genetics; Aging - pathology; Animals; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors - genetics; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors - metabolism; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cell Biology; Cytochrome P-450; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A2; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1B1 - antagonists & inhibitors; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1B1 - genetics; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1B1 - metabolism; Cytochromes - antagonists & inhibitors; Cytochromes - genetics; Cytochromes - metabolism; Disease Models, Animal; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; General Pathology and Pathophysiology; Genes; Humans; Internal Medicine; Laboratory Medicine; Macular degeneration; Macular Degeneration - genetics; Macular Degeneration - metabolism; Macular Degeneration - pathology; Male; Melatonin; Melatonin - pharmacology; NF-E2-Related Factor 2 - genetics; NF-E2-Related Factor 2 - metabolism; Oxidative Stress; Pathology; Progeria - genetics; Progeria - metabolism; Progeria - pathology; Rats; Rats, Transgenic; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon - genetics; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon - metabolism; Retina - drug effects; Retina - metabolism; Retina - pathology; RNA; RNA, Messenger - antagonists & inhibitors; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Signal Transduction - drug effects
• ISSN: 0007-4888; 1573-8221
• DOI: 10.1007/s10517-014-2582-1

Modulation of oxidative stress is one of the experimental approaches to the therapy of age-related macular degeneration. Melatonin holds much promise in this respect. It was hypothesized that the efficiency of melatonin in age-related macular degeneration is associated with its ability to modulate gene expression for the AhR and Nrf2 signal pathways. Experiments were performed on premature aging OXYS rats, which serve as a reliable model of age-related macular degeneration in humans. We studied the effect of melatonin on gene mRNA for the AhR and Nrf2 signal pathways. Melatonin was shown to decrease the level of mRNA for AhR-dependent genes of CYP1A2 and CYP1B1 cytochromes in the retina, but had no effect on the content of mRNA for Nrf2-dependent genes in OXYS rats.