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Glaucoma model for stem cell transplantation research in New Zealand white rabbits
GUO, Li-Yun; WEI, Jing-Kuan; YANG, Shang-Chuan & WANG, Zheng-Bo
Abstract
Glaucoma is a typical irreversible blind neurodegenerative disease for which there is no effective
treatment for halting visual deterioration. The recent development of neural stem cells studies sheds light on a potential
resolution for this disease. As a result, an appropriate glaucoma modeling method for stem cell transplantation study is
needed. In the present study, Dexamethasone was injected unilaterally into the conjunctiva of New Zealand rabbit at the
dose of 2.5 mg (5 mg/mL), three times a week. After eight weeks, the eye ground photography showed that the optic
nerve head of the treated eye was expanded, and the blood vessel was geniculate compared to the control eye, while the
ocular media remained transparent. The hematoxylin-eosin (HE) stain of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) sections
showed optic neuron death in the treated eye. The Heidelberg Retina Tomography (HRT) results showed optic disk
morphological changes consistent with the pathophysiology of glaucoma in the treated eye, including a decrease in the
rim area (1.10±0.88) mm2 and mean RNFL thickness (0.44±0.31) mm, and an increase in the cup/disk ratio 0.17±0.13.
Then neural stem cells were injected into the vitreous body of the treated eye. After five months, surviving transplanted
cells were observed. These results suggest a simple and reproducible chronic glaucoma model, which is appropriate for
neural stem cell transplant research, has been successfully developed.
Keywords
Glaucoma; Animal model; Dexamethasone; Stem cells transplantation
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