Quantification of GFAP and NF‐200+ retinal ganglional cells in contralateral mice retina to experimental glaucoma

Abstract

AbstractPurpose To analyze the effects of laser‐induced ocular hypertension (OHT) in the macroglia and retinal ganglion cells (RCGs) of eyes with OHT (OHT‐eyes) and contralateral eyes two weeks after laseringMethods Adult Swiss mice were divided into two groups: naïve (n=6) and lasered (n=6). Retinal whole‐mounts were immunostained with antibodies against GFAP and NF‐200, the latter used to analyze the presence of degenerated RGCs. The GFAP‐labeled retinal area (GFAP‐RA) and the number of astrocytes and NF‐200+RGCs were quantifiedResults In comparison with naïve: i) astrocytes were more robust in contralateral eyes and had less GFAP immunoreaction and secondary processes in OHT‐eyes; ii) GFAP‐RA was increased in contralateral eyes (p<0.032) and decreased in OHT‐eyes (p<0.001); iii) in both contralateral and OHT‐eyes, GFAP was upregulated in Müller cells. No differences in astrocyte number were found among naïve, contralateral, and OHT‐eyes. NF‐200+RGCs were observed in OHT‐eyes (503+/‐145 cells) with a trend for the GFAP‐RA to decrease and for the NF‐200+RGC number to increase from the center to the periphery (r=‐0.448)Conclusion Two weeks of laser‐induced OHT produced macroglial retinal changes in both contralateral and OHT eyes. The differences in NF‐200+RGCs counting among contralateral and OHT‐eyes support a possible contribution of retinal macroglia to neuronal homeostasis in contralateral eyes. On the basis of the macroglial changes detected in the present work, the use of the contralateral eye as an internal control in experimental induction of unilateral OHT should be reconsidered