Ciliary body degeneration in the Royal College of Surgeons dystrophic rat.

We have studied the pathological changes of the ciliary body in Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats with an inherited retinal degeneration. Morphometric analyses were performed on sectioned ciliary bodies by a computerized morphometry system. Age-matched non-pigmented Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used as the control animals. The ciliary body of 26-day-old RCS dystrophic rats showed normal structure. However, the length and height of the pars plicata of the ciliary body became shorter and the area became smaller with increased age. Significant decreases in the values of these three parameters were observed between 26-day-old and 3-month-old RCS dystrophic rats. These parameters also showed significant differences when values of 3-month-old RCS dystrophic rats were compared to those of 3-month-old control SD rats. The same trends were observed in the ciliary body measurements in RCS dystrophic rats up to 1 year of age. Scanning electron microscopic examination demonstrated the progressive thinning of the pars plicata of the ciliary body with age in the RCS dystrophic rats. The total volume of the ciliary process of 6-month-old RCS dystrophic rats appeared to be one-half that of 26-day-old RCS dystrophic rats. Transmission electron microscopy revealed progressive cellular degenerative changes in the non-pigmented and pigmented ciliary epithelium of the RCS dystrophic rats. It was apparent that the pigmented ciliary epithelium had more severe degenerative changes than the non-pigmented ciliary epithelium. Immunostaining for Na+ + K+ ATPase of the ciliary epithelium was found to be less in the RCS dystrophic rats than in age-matched controls. This result suggests a possible dysfunction of ion transport in the ciliary body of the RCS dystrophic rats, which may account for their increased incidence of cataract formation. Although the mechanisms for the ciliary body degeneration in RCS dystrophic rats remain speculative, these findings add a new area of interest in this model of inherited retinal dystrophy.