Administration of Dutasteride in Animal Models of Retinitis Pigmentosa

The study investigated the effects of dutasteride (DUT), a 5α-reductase inhibitor used for androgenic alopecia, on retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in mice. The researchers hypothesized that DUT could increase progesterone levels in the retina, providing neuroprotection. The mice were treated with DUT and euthanized on day 21 for analysis. The results showed that DUT increased photoreceptor survival, normalized the number and migration of iba-1 positive cells, decreased glial fibrillar acid protein (GFAP) expression, and reduced neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) expression. The study concluded that DUT could potentially improve cell survival and ameliorate retinal micro and macroglial activation, as well as alterations in nNOS in RP.