Correlation of Crystallin Expression and RGC Susceptibility in Experimental Glaucoma Rats of Different Ages.
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide with age being an important risk factor. However, the pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Aim of this study was to focus on age-dependent molecular changes in an experimental animal model of glaucoma.Intraocular pressure was elevated in Sprague-Dawley rats aged 3, 14, and 47 weeks for a period of 7 weeks by episcleral vein cauterization. Ganglion cell loss was monitored by an immunohistochemical staining of the Brain-specific homeobox/POU (Pit-1, Oct-2, Unc-86) domain protein 3A positive cells in retinal flat-mounts and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography measuring the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness. Molecular pr…
The Small Heat Shock Protein α-Crystallin B Shows Neuroprotective Properties in a Glaucoma Animal Model
Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease that leads to irreversible retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss and is one of the main causes of blindness worldwide. The pathogenesis of glaucoma remains unclear, and novel approaches for neuroprotective treatments are urgently needed. Previous studies have revealed significant down-regulation of α-crystallin B as an initial reaction to elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), followed by a clear but delayed up-regulation, suggesting that this small heat-shock protein plays a pathophysiological role in the disease. This study analyzed the neuroprotective effect of α-crystallin B in an experimental animal model of glaucoma. Significant IOP elevation induced b…
Peripapillary fluorescence lifetime reveals age-dependent changes using fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy in rats
Abstract Many fundus diseases accompany fundus autofluorescence change. Fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscope (FLIO) is a latest technique in imaging fundus autofluorescence. With FLIO, the fundus fluorescence lifetime (FLT) is recorded topographically, assisting to diagnose and monitor multiple fundus diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the repeatability of FLT using FLIO on adult rats and to analyze the age-dependency of the peripapillary FLT of the fundus in a short spectral channel (498–560 nm) and a long spectral channel (560–720 nm). Sprague Dawley rats (n of eyes = 10) were used for repeatability experiments. Age-dependent changes were investigated in young (tw…
Erhöhter Augeninnendruck für 7 Wochen induziert lokale Gefäßveränderungen im experimentellen Glaukommodell in vivo
Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Peripapilläre Blutungen sind diagnostisch wegweisend für das Vorliegen des Glaukoms. Dennoch ist die Rolle der Gefäße der Retina und des Sehnervs in der Pathogenese des Glaukoms weitestgehend ungeklärt. Ziel dieser Studie war es, im experimentellen Glaukommodell die lokalen Veränderungen dieser Gefäße auf erhöhten Druck in vivo zu untersuchen. Material und Methoden Das Glaukom wurde durch Veröden dreier episkleraler Venen des linken Auges von weiblichen Sprague-Dawley-Ratten induziert (n = 6). In vivo erfolgte eine Messung der Gefäßkaliber mittels peripapillärem Scan des SD-OCT (Heidelberg Engineering) als Baseline sowie 7 Wochen nach Augeninnendruckerhöhung. Die…