AIM: To investigate the earlier period pathology changes after high air pressure wave traumatic injury in cultured retinal Müller cell.

METHODS: A model of high air pressure wave traumatic injury in cultured retinal Müller cell was established, the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP)after cell injury was tested by immunochemistry. The change of lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)activity and cell apoptosis rate after cell injury were observed. RESULTS: Increased expression of GFAP changes was observed 3 hours after injury. Then it maintained high level of expression within 24 hours, the results were related with injury degree(P<0.05). LDH release increased within 30 minutes after injury. The apoptosis rate had non-significant difference within 30 minutes after injury(P>0.05). The percentage of apoptotic cells increased 3 hours after injury and reached the highest 6 hours after injury.

CONCLUSION: The changes of Müller cell shape and the permeability of cell membrane maybe one of factors to trigger the increasing expression of GFAP.