From Sea to Sight: Fucoidan Protects Against Oxidative Damage in Porcine Retina Organ Culture

Degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) is a hallmark of glaucoma. As RGCs are vulnerable to oxidative imbalance, anti-oxidative strategies are of significant interest as novel therapeutic targets. Fucoidans, bioactive compounds derived from algae, are known to be anti-oxidative. Hence, we investigated if fucoidans have protective effects in a retina organ culture model. Porcine explants were pre-treated with fucoidan (Fucus vesiculosus; FVs) for 0.5 h (10 or 50 µg/mL). Afterwards, damage was induced through H2O2 (500 µM; 3 h). Four groups were investigated: control, H2O2, 10 FVs + H2O2, and 50 FVs + H2O2. RGCs, glial cells, hypoxic/oxidative, apoptotic, and ferroptotic markers were examined by immunohistology, RT-qPCR, and a caspase assay. H2O2 led to lower RGC numbers and RBPMS expression levels while FVs prevented this degeneration. An upregulation of glial expressions and more microglia/macrophages were observed in H2O2 samples, mitigated by FVs. Anti-oxidative genes increased during stress but normalized with FVs. Apoptotic signaling increased while GPX4 mRNA expression decreased with H2O2, both restored by FVs. Consequently, RGC loss was prevented through the attenuation of glial activation, inhibition of hypoxic/oxidative stress, and anti-ferroptotic/apoptotic action mediated by FVs. Advancing glaucoma research, this study emphasizes the therapeutic potential of FVs and offers new directions for future research.