简介：Runningisbelievedtobebeneficialforhumanhealth.Manystudieshavefocusedontheneuroprotectiveeffectsofvoluntaryrunningonanimalmodels.Therewerebothprimaryandsecondarydegenerationinneurodegenerativediseases,includingglaucoma.However,whetherrunningcandelayprimaryorsecondarydegenerationorbothofthemwasnotclear.Partialopticnervetransectionmodelisavaluableglaucomamodelforstudyingbothprimaryandsecondarydegenerationbecauseitcanseparateprimary(mainlyinthesuperiorretina)fromsecondary(mainlyintheinferiorretina)degeneration.Therefore,wecomparedthesurvivalofretinalganglioncellsbetweenSprague-Dawleyratrunnersandnon-runnersbothinthesuperiorandinferiorretinas.Excitotoxicity,oxidativestress,andapoptosisareinvolvedinthedegenerationofretinalganglioncellsinglaucoma.Sowealsousedwesternimmunoblottingtocomparetheexpressionofsomeproteinsinvolvedinapoptosis(phospho-c-JunN-terminalkinases,p-JNKs),oxidativestress(manganesesuperoxidedismutase,MnSOD)andexcitotoxicity(glutaminesynthetase)betweenrunnersandnon-runnersafterpartialopticnervetransection.Resultsshowedthatvoluntaryrunningdelayedthedeathofretinalganglioncellsvulnerabletoprimarydegenerationbutnotthosetosecondarydegeneration.Inaddition,voluntaryrunningdecreasedtheexpressionofglutaminesynthetase,butnottheexpressionofp-JNKsandMnSODinthesuperiorretinaafterpartialopticnervetransection.Theseresultsillustratedthatprimarydegenerationofretinalganglioncellsmightbemainlyrelatedwithexcitotoxicityratherthanoxidativestress;andthevoluntaryrunningcoulddown-regulateexcitotoxicitytodelaytheprimarydegenerationofretinalganglioncellsafterpartialopticnervetransection.