May 2006
Volume 47, Issue 13
Free
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   May 2006
Structural Features of the Cornea of New Diabetic Model Rats, SDT. An Electron Microscopy Study
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Y. Hosotani
    Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan
    Ophthalmology,
  • T. Ikeda
    Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan
    Ophthalmology,
  • S. Kanno
    Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan
    Ophthalmology,
  • H. Ueda
    Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan
    Laboratory of Host Defenses, Institute for Advanced Medical Sciences,
  • S.–I. Kashiwamura
    Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan
    Laboratory of Host Defenses, Institute for Advanced Medical Sciences,
  • Y. Ishii
    New Vision Corporation, Taito–ku, Japan
  • H. Okamura
    Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan
    Laboratory of Host Defenses, Institute for Advanced Medical Sciences,
  • O. Mimura
    Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan
    Ophthalmology,
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships  Y. Hosotani, None; T. Ikeda, None; S. Kanno, None; H. Ueda, None; S. Kashiwamura, None; Y. Ishii, None; H. Okamura, None; O. Mimura, None.
  • Footnotes
    Support  None
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science May 2006, Vol.47, 1363. doi:
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      Y. Hosotani, T. Ikeda, S. Kanno, H. Ueda, S.–I. Kashiwamura, Y. Ishii, H. Okamura, O. Mimura; Structural Features of the Cornea of New Diabetic Model Rats, SDT. An Electron Microscopy Study . Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2006;47(13):1363.

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

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Abstract

Background: : Diabetes mellitus causes ultrastructural changes in basement membranes of various organs. To understand diabetic keratopathy, it is important to analyze structural features of the basement membrane in corneal epithelial cells.

Purpose: : To analyze ultrastructure of the cornea of new diabetic model rat, Spontaneously Diabetic Torii rats (SDT rats) to evaluate whether SDT rats are useful as diabetic keratopathy model animals.

Methods: : SDT rats were sacrificed at 50 (n=5) and 80 weeks (n=4) of age. As control, Sprague–Dawley rats were sacrificed at the same age. Corneas were removed and examined by transmission electron microscopy and Hematoxylin–Eosin staining.

Results: : The numbers of hemidesmosomes in corneal epithelial cells in SDT rats were 20.3±5.1/10µm at 50W and 14.0±4.3/10µm at 80W, as compared to 29.1±3.6/10µm at 50W and 24.9±5.6/10µm at 80W in control rats, indicating that SDT rats have a significantly loss number of hemidesmosomes in corneal epithelial cells than Sprague–Dawley rats. The thickness of the basement membrane in corneal epithelial cells were 145.3±19.8/nm at 50W and 128.1±19.6/nm at 80W in SDT rats, as compared 118.5±14.2/nm at 50W and 117.1±17.7/nm at 80W in control rats, indicating that the corneal epithelial cell basement membrane of SDT rats was significantly thicker than that of Sprague–Dawley rats. Abnormal deposits were present near the basement membrane of 2/5(50W) and 1/4(80W) SDT rats, whereas no such deposits were observed in control rats.

Conclusions: : The cornea of SDT rats shows ultrastructural features that are characteristic of the cornea of diabetic patients. Further analysis of deposits found in the basement membrane is necessary to determine whether SDT rats serve as an animal model for diabetic keratopathy.

Keywords: diabetes • cornea: epithelium • microscopy: electron microscopy 
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