Effects of a conventional photocoagulator and a 3-ns pulse laser on preconditioning responses and retinal ganglion cell survival after optic nerve crush

- A photocoagulator laser induced localized upregulations of certain factors associated with neuronal preconditioning.
- A nanosecond laser also induced localized upregulations of certain factors associated with neuronal preconditioning.
- Neither laser caused sustained increases in various other factors associated with neuronal preconditioning.
- Optic nerve crush resulted in a substantial loss of retinal ganglion cells.
- Laser pretreatment failed to boost neuronal survival after optic nerve crush in areas overlying and neighbouring laser spots.

Previous research has demonstrated that laser photocoagulation treatment of the monkey retina affords protection against experimental glaucoma-induced retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss in areas overlying laser spots. The underlying mechanism is unknown, but it is conceivable that the laser acted as a preconditioning stimulus, inducing localised, endogenous production of survival factors. The related purposes of the current study were firstly to examine whether preconditioning pathways are activated by either a conventional photocoagulator (CW) laser or a photoreceptor-sparing, short-pulse duration (2RT) laser in the rat retina, and secondly, to examine whether such preconditioning with either laser improves RGC survival after optic nerve (ON) crush. Pigmented rats were randomly assigned to one of three groups: sham, CW, 2RT. For the preconditioning study, laser spots were applied randomly to each retina in the posterior hemisphere of the eye taking care to avoid major blood vessels. Animals were killed at 6 h, 1d, and 7d after laser treatment, then analysed by qPCR, immunohistochemistry or Western immunoblotting. For the neuroprotection study, laser spots were administered to the mid-central retina of the right eye. The left eye served as a control. In two experiments, rats were lasered either 24 h or 7 days before ON crush, then killed a further 7 days later. Wholemount retinas were prepared and double labelling immunofluorescence performed. Nestin labelling allowed visualization of laser spots. Brn3a labelling identified viable RGCs. Photomicrographs of Brn3a labelling were taken in areas overlying nestin-positive laser spots. Quantification of Brn3a RGCs was then performed. Both the CW and 2RT lasers induced local glial cell activation. Moreover, both lasers induced localized upregulations of a number of well-documented (CNTF, FGF-2 Hsp27, pAKT) or putative (cFOS, ATF-3, IL-6) RGC survival factors. However, neither laser caused sustained increases in other factors associated with neuronal preconditioning, such as BDNF, Hsp70, IGF-1, bcl-2, and nitric oxide synthase. As regards neuroprotection, analysis of the data revealed that ON crush resulted in the loss of approximately 70% of Brn3a-labelled RGCs after 1 week. Neither the CW nor the 2RT laser augmented Brn3a-positive RGC survival in areas overlying and neighbouring laser spots. This was the case irrespective of whether lasering occurred 1 or 7 days before the ON crush. Our results showed that the CW and 2RT lasers both stimulated de novo synthesis of certain genes that are well-known RGC survival factors and/or that have been implicated in preconditioning-induced neuroprotection studies. Despite these findings, neither laser augmented survival of RGCs when delivered prior to ON crush.