Abstract
The complement system is a key component of innate immunity comprised of soluble components that form a proteolytic cascade leading to the generation of effector molecules involved in cellular clearance. This system is highly activated not only under general inflammatory conditions such as infections, collagen diseases, nephritis, and liver diseases, but also in focal ocular diseases. However, little is known about the role of the complement system in retinal homeostasis during aging. Using young (6-week-old) and adult (6-month-old) mice in wild type (C57BL/6) and complement knockout strains (C1q−/−, Mbl a/c−/−, Fb−/−, C3−/−, and C5−/−), we compared amplitudes of electroretinograms (ERG) and thicknesses of retinal layers in spectral domain optical coherence tomography between young and adult mice. The ERG amplitudes in adult mice were significantly decreased (p < 0.001, p < 0.0001) compared to that of young mice in all complement knockout strains, and there were significant decreases in the inner nuclear layer (INL) thickness in adult mice compared to young mice in all complement knockout strains (p < 0.0001). There were no significant differences in ERG amplitude or thickness of the INL between young and adult control mice. These data suggest that the complement system plays an important role in maintaining normal retinal integrity over time.
Highlights
Retinal degeneration is a common form of neurodegenerative disease and a leading cause of vision loss worldwide
Significant decreases in the ERG amplitude of both a-wave and b-waves were detected in all strains of complement knockout mice that were 6 months old, compared to that of complement knockout mice at 6 weeks of age; no such age-related differences were noted in C57BL/6 mice (Figures 1, 2)
Retinal functional abnormalities were detected in C1q−/−, Mbl−/−, Fb−/−, C3−/−, and C5−/− mice at 6 months of age compared to in mice at 6 weeks of age under normal, disease-free conditions
Summary
Retinal degeneration is a common form of neurodegenerative disease and a leading cause of vision loss worldwide. The complement system has recently become a topic of intense investigation, and is both a key mediator of developmental neuronal function and homeostasis, and contributes to a number of retinal disease pathologies (Sweigard et al, 2014, 2015; Kim et al, 2016). These seminal studies suggest that the complement system is vital to normal retinal physiology
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