Figure 5.
Effect of H2S on caspase-3 cleavage (cl. Casp.-3) after ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Rats were treated either with inhalation of 80 ppm H2S for 60 min at various time points after IRI or by intravenous application of the slow-releasing H2S donor GYY 4137 immediately following IRI. Retinal homogenates were used for Western blot analysis. Densitometric analyses were normalized to total caspase-3 protein expression for all samples. (a,c) Densitometric analysis of retinal caspase-3 cleavage after inhalative post-conditioning with 80 ppm H2S at 0, 1.5, and 3 h after IRI (data are mean ± SD, n = 8, *** = p < 0.001, IRI vs. IRI + 80 ppm H2S at 0 h, and vs. IRI + 80 ppm H2S at 1.5 h after IRI) and after IRI and treatment with GYY 4137 (data are mean ± SD, n = 6, ** = p < 0.01, IRI vs. IRI + GYY 4137). (b,d) Representative Western blot images showing the decrease in caspase-3 cleavage after IRI and H2S inhalation (n = 8) and after IRI and treatment with GYY 4137 (n = 6).