Estrogen, via ESR2 receptor, prevents oxidative stress-induced Müller cell death and stimulates FGF2 production independently of NRF2, attenuating retinal degeneration.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of the deficient antioxidative gene, nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), on 17β-estradiol (E2)-mediated oxidative stress response, with a specific focus on growth factor production and cell death in Müller cells and retinal tissue. Administration of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) reduced the viability of Müller cells derived from Nrf2 wild-type (WT) and knockout (KO) mice. However, this effect was more significant in the KO cells than in the WT cells. Pretreatment with E2 inhibited H2O2-induced cell death in both Nrf2 WT and KO Müller cell genotypes. Small interfering RNA-mediated gene silencing of estrogen receptor 2 (Esr2) attenuated the cell survival-promoting activity of E2 in Nrf2 KO Müller cells, while other identified estrogen receptors, Esr1 or G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (Gper1), had no effect. Western blotting revealed higher ESR2 expression levels in Nrf2 KO cells than in WT Müller cells. Conditioned media from E2-and H2O2-treated Nrf2 WT or KO Müller cells enhanced the dissociated retinal cell viability compared with H2O2-treated cells. Both quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction assay (qRT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay exhibited a significant increase in fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) expression levels in E2-and H2O2-treated Nrf2 WT and KO Müller cells compared to those in E2-treated cells. In vivo, administration of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) reduced the thickness and cell density of the outer nuclear layer (ONL) in Nrf2 KO mice and enhanced the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling-positive cells in the ONL. However, E2 administration attenuated these defects in MNU-treated mice. Concomitant administration of MNU and E2 enhanced FGF2 protein levels in retinal lysates of Nrf2 KO mice. In conclusion, E2 demonstrated a significant role in preventing oxidative stress-induced retinal cell death by stimulating FGF2 production in Müller cells, independent of the Nrf2 gene. Based on these findings, we anticipate that exogenous administration of estrogens or ESR2-selective agonists could aid in treating patients with oxidative stress-related retinal degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.