Abstract
PurposeThe aim of this study was to identify the morphological features of the retina and choroid in Macaca fascicularis of different ages using multimodal imaging.MethodsA total of 27 Macaca fascicularis with no ocular diseases were studied (mean age, 104.2 months; range, 1.2–223.6 months). Multimodal imaging was obtained from each subject. The morphological features were compared within four subgroups according to age.ResultsOn spectrum-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), four hyper-reflective bands could be observed in the outer retina in non-infant macaques (21/21, 100%), while the interdigitation zone could not be observed in the six infant macaques. A narrow hypo-reflective band just posterior to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) was noted in most eyes (25/27, 92.6%). The choroidal–scleral junction (CSJ) was visible in 83.3% of infants but only in 12.5% of adults and 14.3% of the geriatric population, and it could not be seen in juveniles. There was a significant difference in CSJ visibility between the infant group and the other three groups (P < 0.001). Tessellated fundus, in which the choroidal vessels are visible through the retina, could be observed clearly with near-infrared reflectance imaging (NIR). Some granular spots were noted in juveniles, and they accumulated dramatically with age, but were absent in infants.ConclusionNotable morphological features can be observed in the Macaca fascicularis subjects using multimodal imaging, and these features vary distinctly according to their age. It is important to note that infant macaques had no interdigitation zone, while the other macaques had no visible CSJ but did have well-defined choroidal capillaries. Age and the features should be considered seriously in future animal studies.
Highlights
Shuxin Fan and Xiaoyan Ding are equal first-authorsElectronic supplementary material The online version of this article contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.Macaca fascicularis is a cercopithecine primate that has been used extensively as an experimental animal model of ocular diseases due to its eye’s high resemblance to human eyes [1]
The aim of this study is to describe the microstructures of the retina and choroid in Macaca fascicularis and to compare the features of macaque eyes among different age groups
longitudinal reflectivity profile (LRP) of the retina and choroid 2.5 mm from the fovea were obtained from all the images and compared (Fig. 3)
Summary
Shuxin Fan and Xiaoyan Ding are equal first-authors. Macaca fascicularis (cynomolgus long-tailed monkey) is a cercopithecine primate that has been used extensively as an experimental animal model of ocular diseases due to its eye’s high resemblance to human eyes [1]. Many human ocular diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), could be observed in Macaca fascicularis [2]. Since the anatomy of the eyeball in macaques is close to that in humans, clinical imaging technologies including color fundus photography (CFP), fundus autofluorescence (FAF), fluorescein angiography (FFA), and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) are readily adapted for primate research. Very few studies have focused on the ocular morphological features of macaques, and the focus of the resultant images is generally limited to the choroid and sclera. No studies have reported on the retinal microstructures in macaques
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