Kwong Man Kwong. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-99). / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.i / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.vi / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.vii / LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS --- p.ix / Chapter I. --- ABSTRACT --- p.1 / Chapter II. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.4 / Chapter III. --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.6 / Chapter A. --- EXCITATORY AMINO ACIDS AND EXCITOTOXICITY --- p.6 / Chapter 1. --- GLUTAMATE RECEPTORS --- p.7 / Chapter 2. --- NMDA RECEPTOR --- p.9 / Chapter 3. --- EXCITOTOXICITY --- p.10 / Chapter a. --- ACUTE PHASE --- p.10 / Chapter b. --- DELAYED PHASE --- p.11 / Chapter c. --- MECHANISM --- p.11 / Chapter i) --- Inhibition of Na+，K+-ATPase --- p.12 / Chapter ii) --- Impaired Mitochondrial Calcium Buffering --- p.12 / Chapter iii) --- Perturbation of Cytoskeletal Organisation --- p.13 / Chapter iv) --- Phospholipase Activation --- p.14 / Chapter v) --- Endonuclease Activation --- p.15 / Chapter vi) --- Protein Kinase C Activation --- p.15 / Chapter vii) --- Xanthine Oxidase Activation --- p.16 / Chapter viii) --- Nitric Oxidase Synthase Activation --- p.16 / Chapter B. --- APOPTOSIS --- p.19 / Chapter 1. --- MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES --- p.19 / Chapter 2. --- BIOCHEMICAL AND MOLECULAR CHANGES --- p.20 / Chapter 3. --- APOPTOTIC MEDIATORS --- p.21 / Chapter a. --- INTERLEUKIN-1β CONVERTING ENZYME (ICE) --- p.21 / Chapter b. --- ENDONUCLEASE --- p.22 / Chapter c. --- NITRIC OXIDE SYNTHASE (NOS) --- p.23 / Chapter d. --- POLY(ADP-RIBOSE) POLYMERASE (PARP) --- p.24 / Chapter e. --- CALPAINS --- p.25 / Chapter IV. --- NMDA INDUCED APOPTOSIS IN RAT RETINA --- p.27 / Chapter A. --- RATIONALE --- p.27 / Chapter B. --- MATERIALS AND METHODS --- p.31 / Chapter 1. --- NMDA INDUCED EXCITOTOXICITY --- p.31 / Chapter a. --- INTRAVITREAL INJECTIONS --- p.31 / Chapter b. --- RETINAL GANGLION CELL COUNTS (RGCC) --- p.32 / Chapter i) --- Flat Preparation of Rat Retina --- p.33 / Chapter ii) --- RGCC --- p.33 / Chapter d. --- INNER RETINAL THICKNESS (IRT) --- p.34 / Chapter i. --- Preparation of Epoxyl Specimens --- p.34 / Chapter ii. --- Measurement of IRT --- p.36 / Chapter 2. --- DOSE RESPONSE STUDY OF NMDA --- p.36 / Chapter 3. --- NMDA INDUCED APOPTOSIS IN RAT RETINA --- p.37 / Chapter a. --- GEL ELECTROPHORESIS OF RETINAL DNA --- p.37 / Chapter b. --- HISTOPATHOLOGICAL STUDIES --- p.39 / Chapter i) --- Light Microscopy --- p.39 / Chapter ii) --- Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin Nick End Labelling (TUNEL) --- p.40 / Chapter iii) --- Electron Microscopy (EM) --- p.41 / Chapter c. --- MORPHOMETRY --- p.41 / Chapter i) --- TUNEL Positive Nuclei --- p.41 / Chapter ii) --- RGCC and IRT --- p.42 / Chapter 4. --- STUDY OF ENZYME INHIBITORS --- p.42 / Chapter C. --- RESULTS --- p.43 / Chapter 1. --- EXCITOTOXICITY IN RAT RETINA --- p.43 / Chapter a. --- RGCC --- p.43 / Chapter b. --- IRT --- p.44 / Chapter 2. --- DOSE DEPENDENT TISSUE RESPONSES AND REGIONAL RESPONSES --- p.44 / Chapter a. --- RGCC --- p.44 / Chapter b. --- IRT --- p.45 / Chapter 3. --- NMDA INDUCED APOPTOSIS IN RAT RETINA --- p.45 / Chapter a. --- RETINAL DNA GEL ELECTROPHORESIS --- p.46 / Chapter b. --- HISTOPATHOLOGY AND TUNEL --- p.46 / Chapter c. --- MORPHOMETRY OF TUNEL AT THE RGCL AND INL --- p.47 / Chapter d. --- TISSUE RESPONSES AT 7 DAYS AFTER INJECTION --- p.48 / Chapter e. --- EM --- p.48 / Chapter i) --- RGCL --- p.48 / Chapter ii) --- INL --- p.48 / Chapter 4. --- ENZYME INHIBITOR STUDY IN NMDA INDUCED EXCITOTOXICITY --- p.49 / Chapter a. --- EFFECT OF VARIOUS ENZYME INHIBITORS ON RGCC --- p.49 / Chapter b. --- EFFECT OF VARIOUS ENZYME INHIBITORS ON IRT --- p.50 / Chapter D. --- DISCUSSION --- p.51 / Chapter 1. --- NMDA INDUCED EXCITOTOXICITY IN RAT RETINA --- p.51 / Chapter 2. --- DOSE DEPENDENT RESPONSES AND REGIONAL RESPONSES --- p.55 / Chapter 3. --- NMDA INDUCED APOPTOSIS IN RAT RETINA --- p.58 / Chapter 4. --- INHIBITOR STUDY --- p.62 / Chapter a. --- ICE --- p.63 / Chapter b. --- ENDONUCLEASE --- p.65 / Chapter c. --- NOS --- p.67 / Chapter d. --- PARP --- p.69 / Chapter e. --- CALPAIN --- p.70 / Chapter V. --- NMDA INDUCED APOPTOSIS IN RABBIT RETINA --- p.72 / Chapter A. --- RATIONALE --- p.72 / Chapter B. --- MATERIALS AND METHODS --- p.73 / Chapter 1. --- INTRAVITREAL INJECTION OF NMDA --- p.73 / Chapter 2. --- HISTOPATHOLOGY AND TUNEL --- p.74 / Chapter 3. --- MORPHOMETRY OF TUNEL --- p.74 / Chapter 4. --- TISSUE RESPONSES AT 7 DAYS AFTER INJECTION --- p.74 / Chapter a. --- RGCC --- p.74 / Chapter b. --- IRT --- p.74 / Chapter 5. --- EM --- p.75 / Chapter C. --- RESULTS --- p.76 / Chapter 1. --- HISTOPATHOLOGY AND TUNEL --- p.76 / Chapter 2. --- MORPHOMETRY OF TUNEL --- p.77 / Chapter 3. --- TISSUE RESPONSES AT 7 DAYS POST INJECTION --- p.78 / Chapter a. --- RGCC --- p.78 / Chapter b. --- IRT --- p.78 / Chapter 4. --- EM --- p.79 / Chapter a. --- RGCL --- p.79 / Chapter b. --- INL --- p.79 / Chapter B. --- DISCUSSION --- p.80 / Chapter VI. --- CONCLUSION --- p.82 / Chapter VII. --- REFERENCES --- p.83 / Chapter VIII. --- FIGURES --- p.100