Abstract
Purpose :
Sulfur mustard gas (SM) was used as a chemical weapon since World war I. SM exposure to the eye causes severe eye pain, photophobia, excessive lacrimation, anterior segment defects, reduced retinal function, and vision loss. In this study, we evaluated the long-term effects of mustard gas on retinal microglial activation and Muller cell gliosis in vivo.
Methods :
The study was approved by the institutional animal care and use committee and followed ARVO guidelines. New Zealand White rabbits were exposed to SM vapor at a target concentration of 200 mg-min/m3 for 8 minutes. Rabbit retinas were clinically evaluated using a confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope (cSLO) and Heidelberg SPECTRALIS HRA+OCT imaging platform. At the endpoint (1-month post-exposure), rabbit eyes were collected for immunohistochemistry.
Results :
Clinical eye evaluations in live rabbits using cSLO for fundus photography revealed retinal
vasculature tortuosity in the SM-exposed retina compared to the naïve retina. Also, we found a significant increase in light-scattering from the inner retina exposed to SM for 1-month compared to the vehicle-treated retina when evaluated using OCT with SPECTRALIS. IHC on the rabbit retina revealed a significant increase in the Iba-1 and GFAP immunostaining.
Conclusions :
In conclusion, long-term mustard gas exposure to rabbit eyes in vivo caused degenerative retinal changes, microglial activation, and Muller cell gliosis.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.