KITAHARA Shuji
   Department   Research Institutes and Facilities, Research Institutes and Facilities
   Position   Associate Professor (Fixed Term)
Article types Original article
Language English
Peer review Peer reviewed
Title Ultrastructural changes in the choriocapillaris of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced retinal degeneration in C57BL/6 mice.
Journal Formal name：Medical molecular morphology
Abbreviation：Med Mol Morphol
ISSN code：18601499/18601499
Domestic / ForeginForegin
Volume, Issue, Page pp.0
Author and coauthor Hayakawa Ruriko, Komoike Kaori, Kawakami Hayato, Morishima Masae, Shimizu Kazuhiko, Kitahara Shuji, Fujieda Hiroki, Ezaki Taichi
Publication date 2020/01
Summary N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) is known to cause apoptosis of photoreceptor cells and changes in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). However, the changes in choriocapillaris, which nourishes photoreceptor cells by diffusing tissue fluid through RPE, have not been reported in detail. Therefore, we studied the ultrastructural transformation in and around the choriocapillaris to characterize the interdependence between choriocapillaris and surrounding tissue components in a mouse model. Seven-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were given a single intraperitoneal injection of MNU (60 mg/kg of body weight). Perfusion-fixed eyeballs were examined chronologically using immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy until the photoreceptor cells were lost. Sequential ultrastructural changes were observed in photoreceptor cells, RPE, Bruch's membrane, choriocapillaris, and choroidal melanocytes after an MNU injection. The lumens of the choriocapillaris narrowed following dilation, and the vascular endothelium showed structural alterations. When the photoreceptor cells were completely lost, the choriocapillaris appeared to be in a recovery process. Our results suggest that transport abnormality through Bruch's membrane and structural changes in the choroid might have influenced the morphology of choriocapillaris. The thin wall of the choriocapillaris appears to be the cause of the vulnerability with its altered morphology.
DOI 10.1007/s00795-020-00246-6
PMID 32002664