Vitamin A Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vitamin A, including details on retinol, benefits, dosage, supplements, deficiency, information. | ||||||||
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Inhibitory effects of retinoic acid receptor alpha stimulants on murine cataractogenesis through suppression of deregulated calpains.Nishikiori N, Osanai M, Chiba H, Kojima T, Ohguro H, Sawada N Departments of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Japan. nami731978@sapmed.ac.jp PURPOSE: To determine whether retinoic acid (RA)-mediated inhibition of deregulated calpains had any effect on the development of cataract given that accumulating evidence has demonstrated a possible relationship between cataractogenesis and inappropriate activation of calpains. METHODS: The authors examined for Ca(2+) influx and expression alteration of calpains in F9 cells with or without RAs, such as all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), and specific stimulant of retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARalpha; Am580) in the presence of oxidative stress, such as mediated by H(2)O(2). They next examined the clinical relevance of RAs by applying these agents to a murine diabetic cataract and observed the development of the disease. RESULTS: F9 cells constitute a well-established autonomous cell model for investigating retinoid signaling, partially representing the lens epithelial phenotype, as determined by the expression of aquaporin 0, a specific differentiation marker for lens cells. Treatment with ATRA and Am580 significantly decreased the influx of Ca(2+) into the cells, causally resulting in decreased mRNA expression and inhibited activation of calpains. In addition, RARalpha agonists significantly abrogated the upregulation of calpain 2 induced by H(2)O(2), which is a potential etiological contributor to the diabetic cataract, whereas H(2)O(2) had no effect on calpain 1. Importantly, this RA-mediated gene-expression alteration was sufficient for dramatically inhibiting the development of lens opacity in mice with diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that a certain type of RA inhibits Ca(2+) elevation and subsequent overactivation of calpains, suggesting the potential feasibility of calpain-targeting therapies mediated by RA for cataract. Published 26 April 2007 in Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 48(5): 2224-9.
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