Retinoprotective Effects of Non-selective Imidazoline Receptor Agonists

Abstract

Introduction: Current drug therapy of ophtalmic diseases associated with retinal ischemia is not always successful enough
that ensures the relevance of the search of new effective drugs.
Objective: Improving the pharmacological correction efficiency of the retinal ischemic damage in the experiment using
non-selective imidazoline receptor agonists.
Materials and methods: The retinal ischemia-reperfusion model in rats was used, in which an increase in intraocular
pressure is carried out by mechanical pressure to the front chamber. The retinoprotective effects of the nonselective
imidazoline receptor agonists: the sodium salt of C7070, the potassium salt of C7070 and C7070, treated with carbon
dioxide, were estimated by the changes in the ratio of the amplitudes of the b- and a-waves of electroretinogramm – the b/a
coefficient. Measuring the retinal microcirculation level was carried out using laser Doppler flowmetry.
Results and Discussion: The most pronounced retinoprotective effect is demonstrated by potassium salt of C7070 in a
dose of 10 mg/kg, which is expressed in reaching the target values of the b/a and the retinal microcirculation level. When
the pathology is corrected with sodium salt of C7070 in a dose of 10 mg/kg, the microcirculation level increases by 70.4%
(p < 0.05), b/a increased by 94% (p < 0.05) compared with the group without correction. With the correction of retinal
ischemia by C7070, treated with CO2, in a dose of 10 mg/kg, the microcirculation level increased by 12% (p > 0.05), b/a
increased by 84% (p < 0.05), compared with the group without correction.
Conclusion: The obtained data give an experimental substantiation of the pharmacological correction possibility of retinal
ischemia by imidazoline receptor agonists.