Abstract:

Objective  To observe the protective function of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on retinal ganglion cells under high intraocular pressure (HIP) in rabbits. Methods  27 healthy New Zealand rabbits were used in this study.  Among them, 3 rabbits were selected as the (normal) control group.  In the other 24 rabbits, carbomer was injected into the anterior chamber to make HIP models. The two eyes of each HIP model were randomly selected as the HIP eye and the bFGF treatment eye, and 0.1mL PBS and 0.1mL bFGF were injected into the two anterior chambers respectively 1, 2 and 3 weeks after operation. The intraocular pressure was observed everyday and kept at more than 30mmHg. Then 6 rabbits were sacrificed each week to count the number and observe the morphologic change of retinal ganglion cells. Results  The number of retinal ganglion cells was decreased in both bFGF treatment eyes and HIP eyes especially in the HIP eyes from the 2nd (2ed) week（P＜0.05）. Bcl-2 expression was higher in bFGF treatment eyes than in HIP eyes from the 3rd week（P＜0.01）. Under an electron microscope, the morphology of retinal ganglion cells was less changed in (the) bFGF treatment eyes and complete crista was seen in part of the mitochondria. Conclusion  bFGF can protect retinal ganglion cells against HIP as a kind of neurotrophic factor.

Key words: High intraocular pressure; Basic fibroblast growth factor; Retinal ganglion cells; Bcl-2