| First Author | Aslam SA | Year | 2013 |
| Journal | Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci | Volume | 54 |
| Issue | 8 | Pages | 5456-65 |
| PubMed ID | 23744998 | Mgi Jnum | J:214195 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5588547 | Doi | 10.1167/iovs.13-11623 |
| Citation | Aslam SA, et al. (2013) Cone photoreceptor neuroprotection conferred by CNTF in a novel in vivo model of battlefield retinal laser injury. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 54(8):5456-65 |
| abstractText | 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 that 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 that have fluorescent cones. Intravitreal injection of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) was then administered to the lasered eye and compared with a contralateral sham injection of saline. The effect on fluorescent cone cell survival was quantified using a confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope (cSLO), TUNEL assays, and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). RESULTS: At 3 weeks post-laser, cSLO imaging showed that the proportion of surviving cones expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) 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% versus 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 1 week postlaser 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. |
