Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of miR-1-3p on apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells in glaucoma rats and its regulatory mechanism. 
Methods Thirty-six one-month-old SPF SD rats were given adaptive feeding for one week, and then divided into normal group (n=12), model group (n=12) and miR-1-3p antagonistic group (n=12) by random number table method. The normal group did not receive any treatment. The rats in the model group were used to construct glaucoma model, and 0.2 mL sterile saline was injected intraperitoneally every day for 7 days. The rats in the miR-1-3p antagonist group were used to construct glaucoma model, and 0.2 mL of 3 μmol/L miR-1-3p antagonist was injected intraperitoneally every day after surgery for continuous intervention for 7 days. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured at the end of glaucoma modeling and the last intervention. The levels of Notch1 and Notch2 in the retinal tissues of each group were measured by Western blotting, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) content was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The mRNA expression levels of VEGF, Notch1 and Notch2 in retinal tissues of rats were determined by qRT-PCR, and apoptosis was determined by TdT-mediated biotinylated-dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. 
Results At the end of modeling, the IOP of model group and miR-1-3p antagonist group was significantly higher than that of normal group (P＜0.05). At the end of the last intervention, the IOP of miR-1-3p antagonist group was significantly lower than that of model group (P＜0.05). VEGF levels and Notch1 and Notch2 protein expression levels in retinal tissues of model group were significantly higher than those of normal group (P＜0.05). Compared with the model group, VEGF levels and Notch1 and Notch2 protein expression levels in retinal tissues of miR-1-3p antagonistic group were significantly decreased (P＜0.05). The mRNA expression levels of VEGF, Notch1, Notch2 and apoptosis levels in retinal tissues in model group were significantly higher than those in normal group (P＜0.05). Compared with the model group, mRNA expression levels of VEGF, Notch1, Notch2 and apoptosis levels in retinal tissues of miR-1-3p antagonist group were significantly decreased (P＜0.05). 
Conclusion MiR-1-3p promotes apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells in glaucoma rats by promoting VEGF/Notch signaling pathway, which is a potential molecular target for the treatment of glaucoma. 

Key words: glaucoma, retinal ganglion cells, apoptosis