Figure 8.
Downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and pro-apoptotic molecules by minocycline (Mino) treatment or by COX-1-specific inhibitor SC-560. The protein levels of these molecules were assessed using ELISA. A–E, Results from minocycline treatment. Pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α (A), COX-1 (B), and COX-2 (C) are upregulated in rd10 retinas (black bars) and downregulated following minocycline treatment (red bars). The similar trends were observed for pro-apoptotic molecules Bax (D) and caspase-3/7 (E). F–J, Results from SC-560 treatment. Pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α (F) and COX-2 (B) are downregulated following SC-560 treatment. The similar trends are observed in Bax (H) and caspase-3/7 (I). J, Plot of the thickness of the ONL, measured in numbers of photoreceptor nuclei per column. Results are presented as means ± SD; n = number of retinas in each group, *p < 0.05.