Ahn, Hong Ryul Kim, Kyung-A Kang, Suk Woo Lee, Joo Young Kim, Tae-Jin Jung, Sang Hoon 2024-01-20T01:33:59Z 2024-01-20T01:33:59Z 2021-09-01 2017-04-20 2045-2322 https://pubs.kist.re.kr/handle/201004/122838 Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death is part of many retinal diseases. Here, we report that the ethanol extract of Diospyros kaki (EEDK) exhibits protective properties against retinal degeneration, both in vitro and in vivo. Upon exposure to cytotoxic compounds, RGC-5 cells showed approximately 40% cell viability versus the control, while pre-treatment with EEDK markedly increased cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. Further studies revealed that cell survival induced by EEDK was associated with decreased levels of apoptotic proteins, such as poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, p53, and cleaved caspase-3. In addition to apoptotic pathways, we demonstrated that expression levels of antioxidant-associated proteins, such as superoxide dismutase-1, glutathione S-transferase, and glutathione peroxidase-1, were positively modulated by EEDK. In a partial optic nerve crush mouse model, EEDK had similar ameliorating effects on retinal degeneration resulting from mechanical damages. Therefore, our results suggest that EEDK may have therapeutic potential against retinal degenerative disorders, such as glaucoma. English NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP POLY(ADP-RIBOSE) POLYMERASE PARP GLUTATHIONE S-TRANSFERASES APOPTOTIC CELL-DEATH OXIDATIVE STRESS GANGLION-CELLS RGC-5 CELLS SUPEROXIDE-DISMUTASE ANTIOXIDANT ROLE GENE-EXPRESSION ANIMAL-MODELS Persimmon Leaves (Diospyros kaki) Extract Protects Optic Nerve Crush-Induced Retinal Degeneration Article 10.1038/srep46449 1 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v.7 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS 7 scie scopus 000399696200001 2-s2.0-85018951462 Multidisciplinary Sciences Science & Technology - Other Topics Article POLY(ADP-RIBOSE) POLYMERASE PARP GLUTATHIONE S-TRANSFERASES APOPTOTIC CELL-DEATH OXIDATIVE STRESS GANGLION-CELLS RGC-5 CELLS SUPEROXIDE-DISMUTASE ANTIOXIDANT ROLE GENE-EXPRESSION ANIMAL-MODELS Persimmon Diospyros kaki Optic Nerve Crush Retinal Degeneration Glaucoma