TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2013//
TI  - Cone photoreceptor neuroprotection conferred by CNTF in a novel in vivo model of battlefield retinal laser injury
JO  - Investigative ophthalmology and visual science
A1  - Aslam, Sher A.
A1  - Davies, Wayne I. L.
A1  - Singh, Mandeep S.
A1  - Charbel Issa, Peter
A1  - Barnard, Alun R.
A1  - Scott, Robert A. H.
A1  - Maclaren, Robert E.
SP  - 5456
EP  - 5465
VL  - 54
IS  - 8
N2  - PURPOSE: To develop a reproducible laboratory model to simulate a battlefield foveal laser injury and to test potential neuroprotective effects of a single injection treatment which might be administered in a military setting. METHODS: Frequency-doubled 532 nm Nd:YAG laser was used to induce a threshold retinal injury bilaterally in transgenic reporter mice which have fluorescent cones. Intravitreal injection of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) was then administered to lasered eye and compared to a contralateral sham injection of saline. The effect on fluorescent cone cell survival was quantified using a confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope (cSLO), terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) assays, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). RESULTS: At three weeks post-laser, cSLO imaging showed that the proportion of surviving GFP cones expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP)-positive cones was greater in CNTF-treated (54.1 ± 5.15% of baseline count) than in sham injected eyes (28.7 ± 4.4%), which was accompanied by a reduction in TUNEL positive cells. This difference in cone survival persisted at the 6 week point (treated, 39.6 ± 3.2% vs. sham, 18.0 ± 3.8%). These changes were accompanied by a reduction in TUNEL positive cells. The Bcl-2/Bax ratio was increased in CNTF-treated eyes at one week post laser exposure relative to controls. CONCLUSIONS: A single intravitreal injection of CNTF protein was shown to improve cone survival when administered immediately after laser exposure . Similar treatments with CNTF might also have a role in attenuating retinal laser damage sustained by combat personnel in the military setting.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0146-0404
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1167/iovs.13-11623
ID  - ref1
ER  -