Retinal ischemia-induced apoptosis is associated with alteration in Bax and Bcl-x(L) expression rather than modifications in Bak and Bcl-2

Purpose: Apoptosis is known to play a key role in cell death after retinal ischemia. However, little is known about the kinetics of the signaling pathways involved and their contribution to this process. The aim of this study was to determine whether changes in the expression of molecules in the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway might explain the progression of retinal damage following ischemia/reperfusion.