Opioid receptor-activation: retina protected from ischemic injury.

PURPOSE In nonocular systems, activation of opioid receptors has been shown to ameliorate tissue damage induced by ischemic stress. The current study was an investigation of whether opioid receptors activated by endogenous or exogenous agonists can ameliorate ischemic retinal injury. METHODS In an investigation of whether endogenous opioid receptor-activation reduces ischemic injury, the effects of the opioid antagonist naloxone (3 mg/kg; IP) on retinal neuroprotection induced by ischemic preconditioning (IPC) were evaluated. Whether exogenous opioid administration can reduce ischemic retinal injury was determined by pretreating rats with morphine (0.01-10 mg/kg) before injury. Morphometric and electroretinogram (ERG) analyses were used to assess the differences in retinal structure and function. The expression of opioid receptor subtypes was evaluated by Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses. RESULTS In control animals, 7 days after ischemic retinal injury, ERG a- and b-wave amplitudes were significantly reduced (23% and 41%, respectively). In addition, degeneration of the inner retina resulted in a 34% reduction in overall retina thickness. In animals receiving IPC before ischemic injury, ERG wave forms and retinal morphology were preserved. Pretreatment with naloxone reversed both the functional and structural retinal protection induced by IPC. In animals treated with morphine 24-hours before ischemic injury, ERG waveforms were preserved in a dose-dependent fashion (ED(50) = 0.18 mg/kg), and this protective response was reversed by naloxone pretreatment. Immunohistochemical and Western blot data demonstrated that the delta-, kappa-, and mu-opioid receptor subtypes are expressed in the retina. CONCLUSIONS These data provide evidence that activation of one (or more) opioid receptor(s) facilitates the development of IPC within the retina and can reduce ischemic retina injury.