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Chu-Tan JA, Cioanca AV, Wooff Y, Kirkby M, Ellis M, Gulati P, Karl T, Boatright JH, Bales K, Nickerson J, Natoli R. Voluntary exercise modulates pathways associated with amelioration of retinal degenerative diseases. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1116898. [PMID: 36969592 PMCID: PMC10036398 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1116898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Exercise has been shown to promote a healthier and longer life and linked to a reduced risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases including retinal degenerations. However, the molecular pathways underpinning exercise-induced cellular protection are not well understood. In this work we aim to profile the molecular changes underlying exercise-induced retinal protection and investigate how exercise-induced inflammatory pathway modulation may slow the progression of retinal degenerations.Methods: Female C57Bl/6J mice at 6 weeks old were given free access to open voluntary running wheels for a period of 28 days and then subjected to 5 days of photo-oxidative damage (PD)-induced retinal degeneration. Following, retinal function (electroretinography; ERG), morphology (optical coherence tomography; OCT) and measures of cell death (TUNEL) and inflammation (IBA1) were analysed and compared to sedentary controls. To decipher global gene expression changes as a result of voluntary exercise, RNA sequencing and pathway and modular gene co-expression analyses were performed on retinal lysates of exercised and sedentary mice that were subjected to PD, as well as healthy dim-reared controls.Results: Following 5 days of PD, exercised mice had significantly preserved retinal function, integrity and reduced levels of retinal cell death and inflammation, compared to sedentary controls. In response to voluntary exercise, inflammatory and extracellular matrix integrity pathways were significantly modulated, with the gene expression profile of exercised mice more closely trending towards that of a healthy dim-reared retina.Conclusion: We suggest that voluntary exercise may mediate retinal protection by influencing key pathways involved in regulating retinal health and shifting the transcriptomic profile to a healthy phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua A. Chu-Tan
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
- School of Medicine and Psychology, College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Adrian V. Cioanca
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
- School of Medicine and Psychology, College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Yvette Wooff
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
- School of Medicine and Psychology, College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Max Kirkby
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Marissa Ellis
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Pranay Gulati
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Tim Karl
- School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Katie Bales
- Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - John Nickerson
- Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Riccardo Natoli
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
- School of Medicine and Psychology, College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
- *Correspondence: Riccardo Natoli,
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Chu-Tan JA, Kirkby M, Natoli R. Running to save sight: The effects of exercise on retinal health and function. Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2021; 50:74-90. [PMID: 34741489 DOI: 10.1111/ceo.14023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The benefits of exercise to human health have long been recognised. However, only in the past decade have researchers started to discover the molecular benefits that exercise confers, especially to the central nervous system (CNS). These discoveries include the magnitude of molecular messages that are communicated from skeletal muscle to the CNS. Despite these advances in understanding, very limited studies have been conducted to decipher the molecular benefits of exercise in retinal health and disease. Here, we review the latest work on the effects of exercise on the retina and discuss its effects on the wider CNS, with a focus on demonstrating the potential applicability and comparative molecular mechanisms that may be occurring in the retina. This review covers the key molecular pathways where exercise exerts its effects: oxidative stress and mitochondrial health; inflammation; protein aggregation; neuronal health; and tissue crosstalk via extracellular vesicles. Further research on the benefits of exercise to the retina and its molecular messages within extracellular vesicles is highly topical in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua A Chu-Tan
- The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Acton, Australia.,The Australian National University Medical School, The Australian National University, Acton, Australia
| | - Max Kirkby
- The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Acton, Australia
| | - Riccardo Natoli
- The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Acton, Australia.,The Australian National University Medical School, The Australian National University, Acton, Australia
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Zhang N, Zhang X, Girardot PE, Chrenek MA, Sellers JT, Li Y, Kim YK, Summers VR, Ferdous S, Shelton DA, Boatright JH, Nickerson JM. Electrophysiologic and Morphologic Strain Differences in a Low-Dose NaIO3-Induced Retinal Pigment Epithelium Damage Model. Transl Vis Sci Technol 2021; 10:10. [PMID: 34251426 PMCID: PMC8287050 DOI: 10.1167/tvst.10.8.10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose We aimed to explore differences in the NaIO3-elicited responses of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and other retinal cells associated with mouse strains and dosing regimens. Methods One dose of NaIO3 at 10 or 15 mg/kg was given intravenously to adult male C57BL/6J and 129/SV-E mice. Control animals were injected with PBS. Morphologic and functional changes were characterized by spectral domain optical coherence tomography, electroretinography, histologic, and immunofluorescence techniques. Results Injection with 10 mg/kg of NaIO3 did not cause consistent RPE or retinal changes in either strain. Administration of 15 mg/kg of NaIO3 initially induced a large transient increase in scotopic electroretinography a-, b-, and c-wave amplitudes within 12 hours of injection, followed by progressive structural and functional degradation at 3 days after injection in C57BL/6J mice and at 1 week after injection in 129/SV-E mice. RPE cell loss occurred in a large posterior-central lesion with a ring-like transition zone of abnormally shaped cells starting 12 hours after NaIO3 treatment. Conclusions NaIO3 effects depended on the timing, dosage, and mouse strain. The RPE in the periphery was spared from damage compared with the central RPE. The large transient increase in the electroretinography was remarkable. Translational Relevance This study is a phase T1 translational research study focusing on the development and validation of a mouse model of RPE damage. It provides a detailed foundation for future research, informing choices of mouse strain, dosage, and time points to establish NaIO3-induced RPE damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Xian Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Preston E Girardot
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Micah A Chrenek
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jana T Sellers
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ying Li
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Yong-Kyu Kim
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology, Hallym University College of Medicine, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Vivian R Summers
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Salma Ferdous
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Debresha A Shelton
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jeffrey H Boatright
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Atlanta VA Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Decatur, GA, USA
| | - John M Nickerson
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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