Photoreceptor rescue and toxicity induced by different calpain inhibitors

Photoreceptor degeneration is the hallmark of a group of inherited blinding diseases collectively termed retinitis pigmentosa (RP); a major cause of blindness in humans. RP is at present untreatable and the underlying neurodegenerative mechanisms are largely unknown, even though the genetic causes are often established. The activation of calpain-type proteases may play an important role in cell death in various neuronal tissues, including the...