Jiang L Q, Hamasaki D
Schepens Eye Research Institute, Boston, MA 02114.
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1994 Dec;35(13):4300-9.
This study was designed to examine whether retinal function can be rescued by allogeneic normal retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) grafts in Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) with retinal degeneration and, if so, whether this rescued function can be measured and followed by recording the corneal electroretinogram (ERG).
RPE donors were RCS-Long Evans crossbred F1 rats with phenotypically normal retinas. Half an RPE sheet was implanted in the subretinal space of RCS rats at postnatal day 20. The fundi of the recipients' eyes were examined, and the corneal ERGs were recorded. The eyes were also examined histologically.
The RPE grafts were identified by fundus examination in all 21 recipients. No clinical or histologic evidence of inflammation was detected in the media or the retina of the host eye. Eighteen of 21 (86%) recipients showed rescued corneal ERG function. In nine recipients, the PIII response in the grafted eye was significantly greater than in the nongrafted eye. In the other nine recipients, the ERG in the grafted eye showed a b-wave and an a-wave, whereas no b-wave was detected in the nongrafted eye. Recipients of the sham operation (n = 13) revealed no ERG function rescue. To determine long-term corneal ERG function in RPE recipients, 8 of 18 animals in which ERG function was rescued were randomly selected for continued observation. These recipients sustained rescued ERG function for 16 to 17 weeks, at which time the experiment ended.
Results indicate that retinal function of degenerative RCS rats, as measured by corneal ERG, can be rescued by implantation of allogeneic normal RPE into the subretinal space of the eye. Furthermore, this rescued function can be followed up over a relatively long period of time, thus providing a useful model for studying the functional changes of RPE allografts resulting from either immunologic or neurobiologic influences.
本研究旨在探讨在患有视网膜变性的皇家外科学院（RCS）大鼠中，同种异体正常视网膜色素上皮（RPE）移植能否挽救视网膜功能；如果可以挽救，那么这种挽救后的功能是否可以通过记录角膜视网膜电图（ERG）来测量和跟踪。
RPE供体为具有表型正常视网膜的RCS-Long Evans杂交F1大鼠。在出生后第20天将半张RPE片植入RCS大鼠的视网膜下间隙。检查受体眼睛的眼底，并记录角膜ERG。还对眼睛进行组织学检查。
在所有21只受体中，通过眼底检查均识别出RPE移植。在宿主眼的介质或视网膜中未检测到炎症的临床或组织学证据。21只受体中有18只（86%）显示角膜ERG功能得到挽救。在9只受体中，移植眼的PIII反应明显大于未移植眼。在另外9只受体中，移植眼的ERG显示出b波和a波，而未移植眼未检测到b波。假手术受体（n = 13）未显示ERG功能挽救。为了确定RPE受体的长期角膜ERG功能，从18只ERG功能得到挽救的动物中随机选择8只进行持续观察。这些受体的ERG功能挽救持续了16至17周，此时实验结束。
结果表明，通过角膜ERG测量，将同种异体正常RPE植入眼的视网膜下间隙可挽救退化性RCS大鼠的视网膜功能。此外，这种挽救后的功能可以在相对较长的时间内进行跟踪，从而为研究免疫或神经生物学影响导致的RPE同种异体移植的功能变化提供了一个有用的模型。
