Nutraceutical therapy: the effect of rutin on reactive gliosis in retinitis pigmentosa.

• Grant number: 24/10858-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - General Physiology
• Principal Investigator: Alexandre Hiroaki Kihara
• Grantee: Gabriela Maria Badin Correa
• Host Institution: Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The retina is a crucial central nervous system (CNS) component. It converts light signals into electrochemical information, a process initiated by photoreceptors. An imbalance in the retina's physiological conditions or changes in functional photoreceptor numbers can lead to significant vision loss. A prominent example of vision loss is retinitis pigmentosa (RP), which has thousands of new cases every year. Mutations in the PDE6B gene, a cause of autosomal recessive RP (arRP), lead to rod-type photoreceptors' initial death and cones' subsequent degradation. While the underlying mechanisms of primary rod cell death remain unclear, studies point to the participation of the inflammatory response and oxidative and metabolic stress. Another prominent pathological feature observed in RP is reactive gliosis, characterized by changes in glial cell morphology and upregulation of intermediate filament proteins such as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Currently, effective and affordable treatments for RP are lacking. Dietary supplements, including bioactive compounds like flavonoids, are gaining traction as promising treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. Rutin, sourced from plants like buckwheat and cherries, exhibits many benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antitumoral effects. Furthermore, rutin potentially interacts with key signaling pathways involved in the development of RP, such as NF-kB. Given this potential, this project aims to explore rutin as a possible treatment option for autosomal recessive RP and understand its effects on reactive gliosis. To accomplish this, we will analyze the impact of local acute treatment via subretinal injection and the chronic exposure in RD1 animals. To investigate rutin's potential anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effect, we will utilize morphometric analysis of the retina while accessing specific analysis of macroglia and microglial cells via immunofluorescence and western blot. Therefore, this project aims to contribute to a perspective of new therapeutic strategies aimed at treating RP.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DE LIMA-VASCONCELLOS, THEO HENRIQUE; BOVI DOS SANTOS, GABRIELI; MOVIO, MARILIA INES; DONNICI, GIOVANNA KLEMENC; BADIN, GABRIELA MARIA; DE ARAUJO, DANIELE RIBEIRO; KIHARA, ALEXANDRE HIROAKI. Neuroprotection provided by polyphenols and flavonoids in photoreceptor degenerative diseases. NEURAL REGENERATION RESEARCH, v. 21, n. 3, p. 15-pg., 2026-03-01. (24/00828-3, 24/10858-7, 20/11667-0, 21/11969-9, 21/14227-3)