The effects of iodate and iodoacetate on the retinal adhesion.

Sodium iodate and sodium iodoacetate were employed as biological probes to evaluate component forces contributing to the strength of retinal adhesion to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Iodate treatment produced a rapid reduction in the strength of adhesion, which was complete within 1 hr without evidence of concurrent structural change. The adhesive strength reduction produced by iodoacetate required 8 to 12 hr, corresponding to the appearance of early structural changes in the photoreceptor outer segments, although delayed metabolic disturbances in the RPE might also have been involved. The study suggests that metabolic activity in the RPE may account for a portion of the strength of adhesion and that structural changes in the photoreceptor outer segments may also contribute to the forces of adhesion.