Retinal Vascular Changes during Aging in Wistar Kyoto Rats

Bhutto, Imran Ahmed; Amemiya, Tsugio

doi:10.1159/000267734

Cited by 14 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…However, there are several detailed descriptions of the retinal vasculature in rats under normal conditions (Bhutto and Amemiya, 1995a;Pannarale et al, 1996), in aging animals (Bhutto and Amemiya, 1995b;Schellini et al, 1997), and in animals with various pathological conditions (Weber et al, 1989;Hä rtig et al, 1995;Lutty et al, 1996;Bek, 1997;Bhutto and Amemiya, 1997).…”

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confidence: 99%

Confocal microscopic study of glial-vascular relationships in the retinas of pigmented rats

Zahs

Wang

2000

J. Comp. Neurol.

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Astroglia are interposed between the cerebral vasculature and neurons, where they may mediate the transfer of substances from the circulation to neurons and couple changes in neuronal activity to changes in cerebral blood flow. The retina is a particularly advantageous model system for studying glial-vascular interactions in situ. Confocal microscopy and three-dimensional image reconstruction were used to study the anatomical relationships between glia and the surface vasculature in retinas acutely isolated from adult pigmented rats. Retinas were immunostained using antibodies directed against the basal lamina surrounding the vasculature as well as antibodies directed against glial fibrillary acidic protein. Surface vessels of all calibers were contacted by the processes of astrocytes. The vitreal surfaces of the large retinal vessels were covered by a meshwork of immunoreactive astrocyte processes of a variety of shapes, whereas the scleral surfaces of the vessels were supported by thick bundles of astrocyte processes. In addition, glial cells were filled intracellularly with the gap junction-permeable tracers Lucifer yellow and Neurobiotin. Intracellular fills clearly demonstrated the presence of astrocytes with somata that were closely apposed to the large retinal vessels. Tracer-filled astrocytes displayed a variety and complexity of shapes that was not apparent in immunostained material. Gap junctional coupling was stronger between astrocytes adjacent to the same artery than between periarterial astrocytes and astrocytes located away from arteries. Significantly fewer Müller cells were labeled when Neurobiotin was injected into astrocytes associated with arteries than when Neurobiotin was injected into astrocytes that were distant from arteries.

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confidence: 99%

Confocal microscopic study of glial-vascular relationships in the retinas of pigmented rats

Zahs

Wang

2000

J. Comp. Neurol.

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“…Advanced CSVD, e.g., perivascular bleeds, occlusive erythrocyte thrombi, vascular Aβ accumulations did not occur in control animals (32,33,40,55). Additionally, Wistar rats are suitable for physiological aging research comprising the retinal vasculature as well: for comparable young age groups as ours several studies demonstrated the absence of a broad spectrum of early retinal (e.g., BRB breakdown, increased inflammation) and more advanced retinal SVD (e.g., local vascular narrowing, reduced capillary density, arteriolar occlusions and microaneurysms) (56)(57)(58). Such pathologies became obvious in Wistar rats just at quite old ages of 18-30 months.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Retinal Vascular Pathology in a Rat Model of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

et al. 2020

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Introduction: The initial disease stages of hypertensive arteriopathy (HA) and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), the two main forms of sporadic human cerebral small vessel diseases (CSVD), are too subtle to be detectable on clinical routine imaging. Small vessel disease (SVD) is a systemic condition, affecting not only the brain, but also other organs. The retina appears as an ideal marker for the early detection of incipient CSVD. We therefore investigated the retinal microvasculature of the spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rat (SHRSP), an animal model of sporadic CSVD. Materials and Methods: The brains and retinas of 26 male SHRSP (18-44 weeks) were examined histologically and immunohistochemically for the presence of HA phenomena (erythrocyte thrombi, small perivascular bleeds) and amyloid angiopathy (AA). Results: CAA and AA in the retina showed a significant correlation with age (CAA: rho = 0.55, p = 0.005; AA: rho = 0.89, p < 0.001). The number of erythrocyte thrombi in the brain correlated with the severity of retinal erythrocyte thrombi (rho = 0.46, p = 0.023), while the occurrence of CAA correlated with the appearance of AA in the retina (rho = 0.51, p = 0.012). Retinal SVD markers predicted CSVD markers with good sensitivity. Conclusions: These results indicate that SVD also occurs in the retinal microvasculature of SHRSP and the prediction of cerebral erythrocyte thrombi and CAA might be possible using retinal biomarkers. This underlines the important role of the investigation of the retina in the early diagnosis of CSVD.

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“…Measurements show that retinal blood vessels do not affect ONH perfusion recording when they are at a distance greater than 100 μm from the measurement area in the ONH (data not shown). In the case of Vel measurement in the retinal vessel, which has a diameter of approximately 50 μm [ 27 , 28 ], most of the signal originates from RBCs in the vessels and the contribution of surrounding tissues was considered to be negligible.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Compact Laser Doppler Flowmeter (LDF) Fundus Camera for the Assessment of Retinal Blood Perfusion in Small Animals

et al. 2015

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PurposeNoninvasive techniques for ocular blood perfusion assessment are of crucial importance for exploring microvascular alterations related to systemic and ocular diseases. However, few techniques adapted to rodents are available and most are invasive or not specifically focused on the optic nerve head (ONH), choroid or retinal circulation. Here we present the results obtained with a new rodent-adapted compact fundus camera based on laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF).MethodsA confocal miniature flowmeter was fixed to a specially designed 3D rotating mechanical arm and adjusted on a rodent stereotaxic table in order to accurately point the laser beam at the retinal region of interest. The linearity of the LDF measurements was assessed using a rotating Teflon wheel and a flow of microspheres in a glass capillary. In vivo reproducibility was assessed in Wistar rats with repeated measurements (inter-session and inter-day) of retinal arteries and ONH blood velocity in six and ten rats, respectively. These parameters were also recorded during an acute intraocular pressure increase to 150 mmHg and after heart arrest (n = 5 rats).ResultsThe perfusion measurements showed perfect linearity between LDF velocity and Teflon wheel or microsphere speed. Intraclass correlation coefficients for retinal arteries and ONH velocity (0.82 and 0.86, respectively) indicated strong inter-session repeatability and stability. Inter-day reproducibility was good (0.79 and 0.7, respectively). Upon ocular blood flow cessation, the retinal artery velocity signal substantially decreased, whereas the ONH signal did not significantly vary, suggesting that it could mostly be attributed to tissue light scattering.ConclusionWe have demonstrated that, while not adapted for ONH blood perfusion assessment, this device allows pertinent, stable and repeatable measurements of retinal blood perfusion in rats.

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Retinal Vascular Changes during Aging in Wistar Kyoto Rats

Cited by 14 publications

References 14 publications

Confocal microscopic study of glial-vascular relationships in the retinas of pigmented rats

Confocal microscopic study of glial-vascular relationships in the retinas of pigmented rats

Retinal Vascular Pathology in a Rat Model of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

Compact Laser Doppler Flowmeter (LDF) Fundus Camera for the Assessment of Retinal Blood Perfusion in Small Animals

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