Silencing circRUFY1 protects retinal ganglion cell injury in acute intraocular hypertension by activating the ERK pathway through miR-196a-5p/CALM3 axis

Neuroinflammation has been recognized as a key pathological event in acute glaucoma. Medical treatment of acute glaucoma has mainly focused on lowering intraocular pressure, yet the majority of patients still experience deterioration. Aberrant expression or activity of circular RNAs in the retina has been described in various ophthalmic diseases.

This study surveyed the mechanism of circRUFY1 in acute ocular hypertension (AOH)-induced retinal ganglion cell (RGC) injury.

AOH rats expressed high circRUFY1 and CALM3, and low miR-196a-5p in the retina tissue. CircRUFY1 silencing in AOH-induced rats reduced the severity of retinal damage and RGC damage. CircRUFY1, as a ceRNA of miR-196a-5p, upregulated CALM3, and CALM3 overexpression could further activate the ERK pathway signaling in RGCs.

Silence of circRUFY1 protects RGCs from AOH injury mainly by inhibiting the ERK signaling pathway by regulating the miR-196a-5p/CALM3 axis. Overall, targeted intervention of circRUFY1 expression is a promising therapeutic strategy for treating RGC damage in acute glaucoma.