TY - JOUR
T1 - Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-containing nerve fibers are increased in abundance in the choroid of dystrophic RCS rats
AU - Fitzgerald, Malinda E.C.
AU - Caldwell, Ruth B.
AU - Reiner, Anton
N1 - Funding Information:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We gratefully thank: Betty Cook, Hadley Hamliton, Jennifer Petersen, Wes Sweeney, Betty Vana, and Jennifer White and Li Yan Ye for their excellent technical assistance, and Kris Arheart for his expertise in statistics. Supported by NIH-EY-04618 (RBC), Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (RBC) and NIH-EY-05298 (AR).
PY - 1992
Y1 - 1992
N2 - As photoreceptor degeneration progresses in Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats, a variety of morphological and physiological alterations occur in the outer retina. Since the choriocapillaris responds to changes in the outer retina in other retinopathies, we examined the possibility that changes in the choroidal vasculature also occur in RCS rats. The choroidal and choriocapillary vessels in RCS and control (RCSrdy+ rats were examined during the period after which photoreceptor loss and retinal vascular changes had occurred (7-mos to 28-mos). Light microscopic (LM) morphometry and electron microscopic (EM) examination showed no significant differences between these groups in the number, size or morphology of these vessels. However, EM image analysis revealed that nerve fibers and bundles were twice as abundant in the RCS choroid than in the control. Using immunohistochemical techniques at the LM level combined with image analysis we found that vasoactive intestinal polypeptide positive (VIP+ fibers were significantly increased in the RCS choroid compared with control choroid. In contrast, the abundance of immunoreactive fibers labelled for substance P and dopamine β hydroxylase appeared similar in both the control and RCS choroid. Since VIP is a potent vasodilator, the increased abundance of nerve fibers in the RCS choroid in conjunction with the unaltered number and size of these vessels suggests that choroidal blood flow may be increased. It is uncertain whether this increase is a response to the outer retinal pathology or contributes to it.
AB - As photoreceptor degeneration progresses in Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats, a variety of morphological and physiological alterations occur in the outer retina. Since the choriocapillaris responds to changes in the outer retina in other retinopathies, we examined the possibility that changes in the choroidal vasculature also occur in RCS rats. The choroidal and choriocapillary vessels in RCS and control (RCSrdy+ rats were examined during the period after which photoreceptor loss and retinal vascular changes had occurred (7-mos to 28-mos). Light microscopic (LM) morphometry and electron microscopic (EM) examination showed no significant differences between these groups in the number, size or morphology of these vessels. However, EM image analysis revealed that nerve fibers and bundles were twice as abundant in the RCS choroid than in the control. Using immunohistochemical techniques at the LM level combined with image analysis we found that vasoactive intestinal polypeptide positive (VIP+ fibers were significantly increased in the RCS choroid compared with control choroid. In contrast, the abundance of immunoreactive fibers labelled for substance P and dopamine β hydroxylase appeared similar in both the control and RCS choroid. Since VIP is a potent vasodilator, the increased abundance of nerve fibers in the RCS choroid in conjunction with the unaltered number and size of these vessels suggests that choroidal blood flow may be increased. It is uncertain whether this increase is a response to the outer retinal pathology or contributes to it.
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U2 - 10.3109/02713689209001806
DO - 10.3109/02713689209001806
M3 - Article
C2 - 1380413
AN - SCOPUS:0026711069
SN - 0271-3683
VL - 11
SP - 501
EP - 515
JO - Current Eye Research
JF - Current Eye Research
IS - 6
ER -