sr-144528 and Retinal-Degeneration

Earlier studies showed that the expressions of the agonists of the cannabinoid receptors are reduced in the vitreous humor of patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and the cannabinoid type 2 receptor is present in the retinas of rats and monkeys. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the cannabinoid type 2 receptor is involved in the light-induced death of cultured 661W cells, an immortalized murine retinal cell line, and in the light-induced retinal degeneration in mice. Time-dependent changes in the expression and location of retinal cannabinoid type 2 receptor were determined by Western blot and immunostaining. The cannabinoid type 2 receptor was down-regulated in murine retinae and cone cells. In the in vitro studies, HU-308, a cannabinoid type 2 receptor agonist, had a protective effect on the light-induced death of 661W cells, and this effect was attenuated by SR144528, a cannabinoid type 2 receptor antagonist. Because the cannabinoid type 2 receptor is a G-protein coupled receptor and is coupled with G

Topics: Animals; Blotting, Western; Camphanes; Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists; Cannabinoid Receptor Antagonists; Cannabinoids; Cell Line; Cell Survival; Electroretinography; Humans; Light; Male; Mice; Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate; Pyrazoles; Radiation Injuries, Experimental; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2; Retina; Retinal Degeneration; Retinal Pigment Epithelium