3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a powerfully addictive psychostimulant with pronounced effects on the central nervous system, but the precise mechanism of MDMA-induced toxicity remains unclear, specifically on the retina. This study was performed to investigate the effects of MDMA treatment on the retina and explore the underlying mechanism. C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into control and MDMA groups. Mice were treated with MDMA at progressively increasing doses (1–6 mg/kg) intraperitoneally 4 times per day. Electroretinography was used to test the retinal function. Pathological changes of the retina were examined by toluidine blue staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling assay. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to measure the levels of cytokines in the retina. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were used to measure gene and protein expression in the retina, respectively. Our study showed that MDMA treatment impaired retinal function and decreased retinal thickness. MDMA treatment also increased transforming growth factor β as well as inflammatory factors in the retina. Moreover, MDMA treatment increased protein expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and decreased tight junction protein expression in the retina. Our study indicated that treatment of MDMA caused retinal damage in C57BL/6J mice, associated with an increase of MMPs and a decrease of tight junction proteins.

3,4-亚甲二氧基甲基苯丙胺 (MDMA) 是一种强效成瘾性精神兴奋剂，对中枢神经系统具有显着影响，但 MDMA 引起的毒性（特别是对视网膜的毒性）的确切机制仍不清楚。本研究旨在研究 MDMA 治疗对视网膜的影响并探讨其潜在机制。 C57BL/6J小鼠被随机分为对照组和MDMA组。小鼠腹腔注射 MDMA，剂量逐渐增加（1-6 mg/kg），每天 4 次。视网膜电图用于测试视网膜功能。采用甲苯胺蓝染色和末端脱氧核苷酸转移酶脱氧尿苷三磷酸缺口末端标记法检测视网膜病理变化。使用酶联免疫吸附测定来测量视网膜中细胞因子的水平。实时聚合酶链反应和蛋白质印迹分别用于测量视网膜中的基因和蛋白质表达。我们的研究表明，MDMA 治疗会损害视网膜功能并减少视网膜厚度。 MDMA 治疗还增加了视网膜中的转化生长因子 β 和炎症因子。此外，MDMA 治疗增加了基质金属蛋白酶 (MMP) 的蛋白表达，并降低了视网膜中紧密连接蛋白的表达。我们的研究表明，MDMA 治疗会导致 C57BL/6J 小鼠的视网膜损伤，与 MMP 的增加和紧密连接蛋白的减少有关。