Neuroprotective effect of a dietary supplement against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in retina.

To evaluate the neuroprotective effect of a dietary supplement (ClearVision EX We evaluated the protective effects CV on glutamate-induced cell toxicity of an immortalized mouse hippocampal cell line (HT-22) HT-22 cell death was induced by the addition of glutamate and co-incubation with CV protected against it. Oral administration of CV inhibited the decrease in scotopic threshold response amplitudes induced by the intravitreal injection of NMDA and those of the thickness of the inner retinal layer in the histological evaluation. The increased phosphorylated levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) but not cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) or Akt were observed 1h after NMDA injection in both the vehicle- and CV-treated rats; however, pERK activation was no more upregulated at 3h after NMDA injection. pERK upregulation was observed in Müller cells. CV shows a protective effect against both glutamate-induced HT-22 cell death and NMDA-induced retinal damage. pERK upregulation in the Müller cells plays a key role in the protective effect of CV against glutamate-induced retinal toxicity.