March 2012
Volume 53, Issue 14
Free
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   March 2012
Schwann Cell Application Protects against Retinal Ganglion Cell Apoptosis In Vivo after Optic Nerve Injury
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Li Guo
    Glaucoma & Retinal Neurodegnrtn Res Grp, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, United Kingdom
  • Melanie Clements
    Cell Interactions and Cancer, Clinical Sciences Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
  • Eduardo M. Normando
    Glaucoma & Retinal Neurodegnrtn Res Grp, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, United Kingdom
  • Joana M. Galvao
    Glaucoma & Retinal Neurodegnrtn Res Grp, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, United Kingdom
  • Nada Anzak
    King’s College London Medical School, London, United Kingdom
  • Simona Parrinello
    Cell Interactions and Cancer, Clinical Sciences Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
  • M. Francesca Cordeiro
    Glaucoma & Retinal Neurodegnrtn Res Grp, UCL Inst Ophthal & Western Eye Hsp London, London, United Kingdom
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships  Li Guo, None; Melanie Clements, None; Eduardo M. Normando, None; Joana M. Galvao, None; Nada Anzak, None; Simona Parrinello, None; M. Francesca Cordeiro, DARC (P)
  • Footnotes
    Support  None
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science March 2012, Vol.53, 4681. doi:
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      Li Guo, Melanie Clements, Eduardo M. Normando, Joana M. Galvao, Nada Anzak, Simona Parrinello, M. Francesca Cordeiro; Schwann Cell Application Protects against Retinal Ganglion Cell Apoptosis In Vivo after Optic Nerve Injury. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2012;53(14):4681.

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      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

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Abstract

Purpose: : Unlike the peripheral nerve (PN), the optic nerve cannot regenerate after injury, causing irreversible vision loss due to degeneration and death of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons. Schwann cells (SCs) are the major cell type of the PN and play a key role in the PN regeneration following injury. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of SCs on protection against RGC death in vivo in a rat model of partial optic nerve transection (ONT).

Methods: : The optic nerve (ON) in the left eye was partially transected at about 2mm from the optic disc with a 0.2mm ophthalmic scalpel in 16 Dark Agouti (DA) rats. Primary cultured SCs from rat were injected onto the transected ON in a mixture with Matrigel (2x108 cells/ml, 10ul) following surgery (ON SCs). Some animals were injected with SCs (2x106 cells/ml, 5ul) intravitreally three days before ONT transection (intravitreal SCs). The animals that had ONT done without SCs treatment served as control. Animals were imaged in vivo to assess RGC apoptosis using DARC (Detection of Apoptotic Retinal Cells) before surgery, 7 and 21 days after surgery. The number of apoptosing RGCs labelled by annexinV 488 was counted using Matlab software.

Results: : Partial ONT induced a significant increase in RGC apoptosis at both day 7 and 21 (p≤0.01) compared to baseline (day 0), peaking at day 7 in untreated eyes. SCs treatment reduced the level of RGC apoptosis at both time points but this reached significance only at day 21 with either ON SCs (p=0.036) or intravitreal SCs (p=0.017). The pattern of RGC apoptosis was found differ in the different treatment groups.

Conclusions: : Schwann cells derived from the peripheral nerve can prevent or delay RGC death after optic nerve injury. The significant protective effect of SCs on RGCs at 21 days following partial ONT may be attributed to the prevention of secondary degeneration. Finally, this study suggests that DARC can be used to assess optic nerve rescue/regeneration strategies.

Keywords: optic nerve • imaging/image analysis: non-clinical • regeneration 
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