Gypenosides Alleviate Cone Cell Death in a Zebrafish Model of Retinitis Pigmentosa

Antioxidants reduce cone cell death in a model of retinitis pigmentosa.

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a label for a group of diseases caused by a large number of mutations that result in rod photoreceptor cell death followed by gradual death of cones. The mechanism of cone cell death is uncertain. Rods are a major source of oxygen utilization in the retina and, after rods die, the level of oxygen in the outer retina is increased. In this study, we used the rd1 mouse...

Loss of the cone-enriched caspase-7 does not affect secondary cone death in retinitis pigmentosa

Purpose The apoptotic mechanisms responsible for secondary cone death in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) remain largely unknown. The cone-enriched apoptotic protease caspase-7 (Casp7) is thought to be triggered by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and plays a pivotal role in mice deficient in the cone cyclic nucleotide-gated channels, a deficiency that causes achromatopsia in humans and in mice with ...

Foveal cone optical density in retinitis pigmentosa.

We have used a color matching technique to estimate the optical density of the foveal cone photopigments in a group of patients with retinitis pigmentosa. We find that foveal cone optical density is reduced in patients with retinitis pigmentosa. This reduction of density can occur early in the disease process and is found in patients with minimal visual field loss or 20/20 visual acuity. Foveal...

Distinct Forms of Photoreceptor Cell Death in Retinitis Pigmentosa

Apoptotic photoreceptor cell death in mouse models of retinitis pigmentosa.

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of inherited human diseases in which photoreceptor degeneration leads to visual loss and eventually to blindness. Although mutations in the rhodopsin, peripherin, and cGMP phosphodiesterase genes have been identified in some forms of RP, it remains to be determined whether these mutations lead to photoreceptor cell death through necrotic or apoptotic mechani...