Apoptosis In Cultured Rat Retinal Ganglion Cells Induced By Tumor Necrosis Factor-α

Objective To study the apoptosis in cultured rat retinal ganglion cell(RGCs)induced by tumor necrosis factor-a. Methods The retina of 15 Wistar rats which were 2 or 3 days after birth were dissociated into cell suspention with 0.125% Trypsin digestion. Cultured RGCs were identified with immunohistochmistry method using anti-rat Thy-1.1 monoclonal antibody. Cultured RGCs were divided into the TNF-α group and the control group respectively. After 4 days,the A value of living cells was tested by methylthio-tetrazole colorimetric microassay. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. Results Compared with control group, cell apoptosis rate caused by TNF-α increased significantly (P<0.05) and related to the concentration of TNF-α. The differences of A values between TNF-α group and control group were significant and was related to the concentration of TNF-α. Conclusion TNF-α with some certain concentration could induce the apoptosis in cultured RGCs.