Oxidative stress may cause retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell apoptosis.

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Compared with the peroxynitrite group, apoptotic features were less apparent after treatment with cholecystokinin octapeptide-8 (transmission electron microscopy).
Credit: Neural Regeneration Research

Nitric oxide and superoxide react to produce peroxynitrite, which, along with its derivatives, are strong oxidants. Cholecystokinin octapeptide-8 (CCK-8) can protect cholinergic neurons against basal forebrain lesion caused by brain injury.

The research team at Hebei Province People's Hospital, China led by Dr. Yuan Liu treated human RPE cells with the oxidative stress inducer peroxynitrite, and evaluated the neuroprotective effects of CCK-8. Peroxynitrite triggered apoptosis in these cells, and increased the expression of Fas-associated death domain, Bax, caspa-se-8 and Bcl-2.

These changes were suppressed by treatment with CCK-8. These results suggest that cholecystokinin octapeptide-8 can protect human retinal pigment epithelial cells against apoptosis induced by peroxynitrite.

The relevant study has been published in Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 9, No. 14, 2014).

Article: " Cholecystokinin octapeptide antagonizes apoptosis in human retinal pigment epithelial cells," by Yuan Liu1, Yueling Zhang1, Zhaohui Gu1, Lina Hao2, Juan Du1, Qian Yang1, Suping Li1, Liying Wang1, Shilei Gong3 (1 Department of Ophthalmology, First Central Hospital of Baoding, Baoding, Hebei Province, China; 2 Department of Ophthalmology, Hebei Province People's Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China; 3. Department of Endoscope Room, First Central Hospital of Baoding, Baoding,Hebei Province, China)

Liu Y, Zhang YL, Gu ZH, Hao LN, Du J, Yang Q, Li SP, Wang LY, Gong SL. Cholecystokinin octapeptide antagonizes apoptosis in human retinal pigment epithelial cells. Neural Regen Res. 2014;9(14):1402-1408.