HUBUNGAN ANTARA EKSPRESI CASPASE - 3 TERHADAP DENSITAS GANGLION DAN DENSITAS FOTORESEPTOR PADA LAPISAN RETINA TIKUS USIA DIABETES 7-12 MINGGU = THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CASPASE - 3 EXPRESSION WITH GANGLION AND PHOTORECEPTOR CELL DENSITIES IN DIABETIC RATS RETINAL LAYER AGED 7-12 WEEKS

Introduction: Hyperglycemia conditions in diabetic retinopathy can increase retinal cell apoptosis. Caspase-3 is known as the executioner caspase in apoptosis because it plays a role in coordinating the decay of cellular structures such as DNA fragmentation or cytoskeletal protein degradation. This study aims to determine the relationship between caspase-3 expression and ganglion and photoreceptor density in the retinal layers of diabetic rats. Method: This research was an experimental study with a post-test-only control group design carried out at the Animal Lab, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hasanuddin University, and the Anatomic Pathology Laboratory, RSPTN, Hasanuddin University, Makassar in June-November 2023. The research involved the use of 35 Wistar rats (Rattus Norvegicus). They were divided into seven groups randomly, with each group containing at least the minimum number determined by the Federer formula. Results: In this study, no significant differences were found in the density of the ganglion layer (p=0.23) and photoreceptor layer (p=0.08) between the group with diabetes and the control group. There was no significant difference in caspase-3 expression in the retinal ganglion layer (p=0.235) between the group suffering from diabetes and the control group. There was a significant difference in caspase-3 expression in the photoreceptor layer of the retina (p=0.045). There was no correlation between Caspase-3 expression in the ganglion layer (p=0.744) and the photoreceptor layer (p=0.094). There was a positive relationship between the duration of diabetes mellitus and caspase-3 expression only in the photoreceptor layer. Conclusion: There is no significant relationship between the level of caspase-3 expression and ganglion density or photoreceptor density in diabetic rats.

Keyword : Diabetic Retinopathy, Caspase-3, Apoptosis, Ganglion Cells, Photoreceptors