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Retinitis pigmentosa: rod photoreceptor rescue by a calcium-channel blocker in the rd mouse

Nature Medicine volume 5, pages 1183–1187 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

Retinitis pigmentosa is an inherited degenerative disease of photoreceptors leading to blindness. A well-characterized model for this disease is provided by the retinal degeneration mouse, in which the gene for the rod cGMP phosphodiesterase is mutated, as in some affected human families. We report that D-cis-diltiazem, a calcium-channel blocker that also acts at light-sensitive cGMP-gated channels, rescued photoreceptors and preserved visual function in the retinal degeneration mouse. The long record of diltiazem prescription in cardiology should facilitate the design of clinical trials for some forms of retinitis pigmentosa.

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Figure 1: Rod cell rescue in diltiazem-treated rd mice.
Figure 2: Quantification of diltiazem-induced rod cell rescue in flat-mounted retinae of rd mice.
Figure 3: Diltiazem-induced photoreceptor rescue in retinal sections of rd mice.
Figure 4: Photoreceptor numbers and histology of retinal sections from diltiazem-treated rd mice.
Figure 5: ERGs after diltiazem treatment in rd mice and diltiazem injection in wild-type C57 mice.

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Acknowledgements

We thank D. Hicks for suggestions and P. Bos and R. Bury for technical assistance. This work was supported by Fédération des Aveugles de France, AFRP/retina-France, ADRET-Alsace and Fondation de l'Avenir and Hopitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Physiopathologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire de la Rétine, Médicale A, BP 426, 1 place de l'hôpital, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, 67091, France

    Maria Frasson, Jose A. Sahel, Manuel Simonutti & Henri Dreyfus

  2. Institut d'Histologie, Médicale A, BP 426, 1 place de l'hôpital, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, 67091, France

    Michel Fabre

  3. Laboratoire de Physiopathologie Rétinienne, Médicale A, BP 426, 1 place de l'hôpital, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, 67091, France

    Serge Picaud

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  1. Maria Frasson
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Correspondence to Serge Picaud.

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Frasson, M., Sahel, J., Fabre, M. et al. Retinitis pigmentosa: rod photoreceptor rescue by a calcium-channel blocker in the rd mouse. Nat Med 5, 1183–1187 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/13508

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