摘要Astragaloside Ⅳ is the main active compound of Astragalus membranaceus.Astragaloside Ⅳ has strong anti-oxidative activities and protective effects against progression of peripheral neuropathy.In this study,we determined whether astragaloside Ⅳ protects retinal ganglion cells (RGC) from oxidative stress injury using the rat RGC-5 cell line.Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was used to induce oxidative stress injury,with the protective effect of astragaloside Ⅳ examined.Cell Counting Kit-8 and 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining showed that astragaloside Ⅳ increased cell survival rate and decreased apoptotic cell number.Flow cytometry showed that astragaloside Ⅳ decreased H2O2-induced reactive oxygen species levels.While laser confocal microscopy showed that astragaloside Ⅳ inhibited the H2O2-induced decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential.Western blot assay showed that astragaloside Ⅳ reduced cytochrome c release induced by H2O2,inhibited Bax and caspase-3 expression,and increased Bcl-2 expression.Altogether,these results indicate that astragaloside Ⅳ has potential protective effects against H2O2-induced oxidative stress in retinal ganglion cells.