Transplantation of AAV2-BDNF-IPE cells may be an alternative method of delivering neurotrophic factors to the lesion.

Transplantation of cells or tissues and the intravitreal injection of neurotrophic factors are two methods that have been used to treat retinal diseases. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of combining both methods: the transplantation of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells expressing different neurotrophic factors. The neutrophic factors were Axokine, brain derived-neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). The enhanced green fluorescence protein (eGFP) gene was used as a reporter gene. These genes were transduced into RPE cells by lipofection, selected by antibiotics, and transplanted into the subretinal space of 108 rats. The rats were examined at 1 week and 3 months after the transplantation to determine whether the transduced cells were present, were expressing the protein, and were able to protect photoreceptors against phototoxicity. The survival of the transplanted cells was monitored by the presence of eGFP. The degree of protection was determined by the thickness of the outer nuclear layer. Our results showed that the degree of photoreceptor protection was different for the different types of neurotrophic factors at 1 week. After 3 months, the number of surviving transplanted cell was markedly reduced, and protection was observed only with the BDNF-transduced RPE cells. A significant degree of rescue was also observed by BDNF-transduced RPE cells in the nontransplanted area of the retina at both the early and late times. Lymphocytic infiltration was not detected in the vitreous, retina, and choroid at any time. We conclude that the transplantation of BDNF-transduced RPE cells can reduce the photoreceptor damage induced by phototoxicity in the transplanted area and weakly in the nontransplanted area.

RPE cells transduced with neurotrophic factors express the factors after transplantation into the subretinal space. RPE transduced with Axokine or bFGF, in contrast to RPE transduced with BDNF, stimulate an immunologic reaction of the host.

We report a patient with a spontaneous intramuscular hematoma in the lateral rectus muscle of the eye that resolved without medication with maintenance of good vision. A 40-year-old woman presented with ocular pain and exophthalmos in her right eye. She had no history of trauma or surgery. Exophthalmos and limitation of abduction and supraduction of her right eye were present at the initial examination. Magnetic resonance (MR) images showed an intramuscular hematoma in the right lateral rectus muscle. Her other ocular findings were within normal limits. Five months later without any treatments, the MR images were within normal limits, and her ocular signs and symptoms were completely resolved. Careful observations including MR imaging is sufficient for patients with a spontaneous intramuscular hemorrhage in the extraocular muscle, and the visual prognosis is good.lateral rectus muscle; spontaneous orbital hemorrhage; intramuscular hematoma; exophthalmos; magnetic resonance imaging

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