Abstract
The purpose of this work was to prove that oxidative stress is the main mechanism responsible for retinal neurodegenerative changes, subsequent apoptosis, and inflammatory cytokine release in rats fed with a high cholesterol diet (HCD) and determine the role of garlic in alleviating these changes. Forty rats were equally divided into four groups: control, garlic-treated (positive control), HCD, and HCD + garlic-treated (HCD + G). By the end of the experiment (24 weeks) blood samples were collected for assessment of serum lipid profile, oxidative stress parameters, and plasma levels of IL-6 and TNF-α. Both eyes of the rats were enucleated; one was used for light microscopic examination and the other for electron microscopic examination. There was a significant increase in the levels of serum lipids, oxidative stress parameters, IL-6 and TNF-α, and area of expression of caspase-3 in the HCD group compared to both the control and HCD + G groups. Histological examination revealed degenerative changes in all layers of the neural retina in the HCD group. Garlic administration resulted in a significant improvement in the biochemical, immunohistochemical, and histological characteristics of hypercholesterolemic rats. These findings support the hypotheses that garlic has strong antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Garlic ameliorates the neurodegenerative changes in the neural retina of hypercholesteremic rats.