The Activity of Lowering Intraocular Pressure of Cassiae Seed Extract in a DBA/2J Mouse Glaucoma Model

Purpose: To evaluate the activity of lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) by Cassiae seed in the DBA/2J mouse glaucoma model. Methods: Young male (mean age: 3 months) inherited glaucoma mice (BDA/2J) were enrolled in this study. To evaluate the potential of Cassiae seed in the treatment of glaucoma, all subjects were divided into 6 groups. There were 1 sham group, positive control identified as group 2 topical brimonidine and group 3 oral acetazolamide, and groups 4–6 Cassiae seed extract (CSE) groups. The lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level in the anterior aqueous humor and the changes of IOP were investigated. Contents of total polyphenol glycosides in the CSE were measured using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Cosmosil 5C18-MS reverse-phase HPLC column (4.6×250-mm i.d., 5 μm) with methanol/0.1% H3PO4 as the mobile phases in a gradient elution mode at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and an injection volume of 10 μL. The wavelength of UV detector was set at 254 nm. Results: The LDH level in the anterior aqueous humor and IOP significantly decreased after treatment with CSE. The IOP-lowering effect of CSE was comparable to those of oral acetazolamide and brimonidine instillation. There were no abnormal findings in the external appearance, and body weight change after treatment with CSE for 5 weeks. Chrysophanol and physcion were measured by an HPLC method to obtain total polyphenol glycosides of the CSE, and were involved in the IOP-lowering function. Conclusion: Cassiae seed may be safe and beneficial for treating glaucoma due to its significant IOP- and LDH-lowering activities.