Figure 2. Impact of fucoxanthin on apoptotic protein expression and Müller glial activation in glaucomatous rats. In untreated ocular hypertensive retinas, GFAP (B) and Bax (D) protein levels were elevated, while Bcl-2 (F) levels were reduced at both 3 days and 2 weeks post-IOP elevation. Fucoxanthin treatment resulted in a decrease in GFAP levels at both time points compared with vehicle-treated groups (B). Bax levels initially increased at 3 days but decreased at 2 weeks following fucoxanthin treatment (D), whereas Bcl-2 expression showed an increase at 14 days (F). At the mRNA level, ocular hypertensive retinas exhibited increased GFAP (C) and Bax (E) mRNA levels, with GFAP elevated at both 3 days and 2 weeks, and Bax increased at 2 weeks. Conversely, Bcl-2 (G) mRNA was decreased at both time points. Fucoxanthin treatment led to a reduction in GFAP mRNA at 3 days and 2 weeks, a decrease in Bax mRNA at 2 weeks and an increase in Bcl-2 mRNA at both 3 days and 2 weeks compared with the vehicle-treated group (n=3; data are expressed as mean±SD; *p<0.05; **p<0.01). BAX, Bcl-2 associated X protein; Bcl-2, B-cell lymphoma-2; GAPDH, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; GFAP, glial fibrillar acidic protein;mRNA, messenger RNA; NC, normal control; OHT, ocular hypertension; OHT+FX, fucoxanthin-treated ocular hypertension.