Sex Steroids Inhibit Osmotic Swelling of Retinal Glial Cells

• DOI: 10.1007/s11064-009-0092-8
• Publication Date: 2009-11-18T07:58:57Z
• Authors: Florian Neumann; Antje Wurm; Regina Linnertz; Thomas Pannicke; Ianors Iandiev; Peter Wiedemann; Andreas Reichenbach; Andreas Bringmann
• Keywords: Neuroglia

Osmotic swelling of glial cells may contribute to the development of retinal edema. We investigated whether sex steroids inhibit the swelling of glial somata in acutely isolated retinal slices and glial cells of the rat. Superfusion of retinal slices or cells from control animals with a hypoosmolar solution did not induce glial swelling, whereas glial swelling was observed in slices of postischemic and diabetic retinas. Progesterone, testosterone, estriol, and 17beta-estradiol prevented glial swelling with half-maximal effects at approximately 0.3, 0.6, 6, and 20 microM, respectively. The effect of progesterone was apparently mediated by transactivation of metabotropic glutamate receptors, P2Y1, and adenosine A1 receptors. The data suggest that sex steroids may inhibit cytotoxic edema in the retina.