To prevent ocular pathologies, new generation of dietary supplements have been commercially available. They consist of nutritional supplement mixing components known to provide antioxidative properties, such as unsaturated fatty acid, resveratrol or flavonoids. However, to date, only one preclinical study has evaluated the impact of a mixture mainly composed of those components (Nutrof Total®) on the retina and demonstrated that in vivo supplementation prevents the retina from structural and functional injuries induced by light. Considering the crucial role played by the glial Müller cells in the retina, particularly to regulate the glutamate cycle to prevent damage in oxidative stress conditions, we questioned the impact of this ocular supplement on the glutamate metabolic cycle. To this end, various molecular aspects associated with the glutamate/glutamine metabolism cycle in Müller cells were investigated on primary Müller cells cultures incubated, or not, with the commercially mix supplement before being subjected, or not, to oxidative conditions. Our results demonstrated that in vitro supplementation provides guidance of the glutamate/glutamine cycle in favor of glutamine synthesis. These results suggest that glutamine synthesis is a crucial cellular process of retinal protection against oxidative damages and could be a key step in the previous in vivo beneficial results provided by the dietary supplementation.
Keywords: Müller cells; glutamate; glutamine; nutritional supplementation; oxidative stress.