Effect of MCI-9042, a 5-HT2 receptor antagonist, on retinal ganglion cell death and retinal ischemia

The neuroprotective effect of MCI-9042 (Mitsubishi Pharma Corporation) was investigated on glutamate-induced retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death in vitro and on rat retinal ischemia in vivo. RGCs were purified from retinal cells isolated from 6-day-old Wistar rats and cultured in serum-free media. After application of 25 muM glutamate, the viability of RGCs treated with or without several serotonin 2 (5-HT2) receptor antagonists: MCI-9042, M-1 (a major metabolite of MCI-9042), ketanserin, and LY-53857; was evaluated by calcein-acetoxymethyl ester staining. Retinal ischemia was induced by intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation (130 mmHg, 50 min). Rats were intraperitoneally injected with MCI-9042 at a dose of 3, 30 mg/kg or base at 30 min before and just after ischemia-reperfusion. Retinal damages were evaluated by histology, morphometric analysis and electroretinograms (ERGs) recordings at 7 days after ischemia-reperfusion. 25 muM glutamate decreased the number of viable RGCs to about 60 to 65% of untreated RGCs. MCI-9042, M-1, ketanserin, and LY-53857 significantly reduced glutamate-induced RGC death at concentrations of more than 100 nM, 1 nM, 1 muM and 100 nM, respectively. Ischemia-reperfusion caused thinning of the thickness between the inner plexiform layer and the outer plexiform layer and attenuation of a-and b-waves in ERG recordings. The intraperitoneal injection of MCI-9042 significantly reduced morphological and functional damages in retinal ischemia. Our data demonstrate that 5-HT2 receptor antagonists including MCI-9042 and M-1 have the neuroprotective effects in cultured RGCs and that MCI-9042 protects against ischemic retinal diseases. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.