Abstract
Purpose: :
To evaluate long-term retinal changes in diabetic rats.
Methods: :
Type 2 diabetes model was constituted by a group of 10 female Wistar neonatal rats. They received an intraperitoneal injection 45 mg/kg streptozotocin (SZT) at day 2 of life. Rats were fed by a high-fat-diet (HFD) from week 8 onwards and killed after 2 years of diabetes. A control group was made up of non-diabetic rats. Transverse retinal sections were analyzed by immunohistochemistry using glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and the receptor-of-advanced glication-end-product (RAGE), and by histology using PAS and HE.
Results: :
Proliferative retinopathy was only found in diabetic animals. This group also showed rubeosis iridis-like changes. Immunostaining of GFAP and RAGE was similar in diabetic and controls.
Conclusions: :
This model of diabetes reproduces late stages of diabetic retinopathy and associated complications. It could be useful for better understanding the role of HFD in retinopathy development.
Keywords: diabetic retinopathy • retinal glia • retinal neovascularization