Analysis of Changes in Retinal Photoreceptors Using Optical Coherence Tomography in a Feline Model of Iodoacetic Acid-induced Retinal Degeneration

• Published in: Korean journal of ophthalmology Vol. 33; no. 6; pp. 547 - 556
• Main Authors: Noh, Gwang Myeong, Lim, Jae Wan, Lee, Myung Shin, Lee, Seung Uk, Lee, Sang Joon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) The Korean Ophthalmological Society 01.12.2019; 대한안과학회
• Subjects: Original; 안과학; Retinal degeneration; Angiography; Optical coherence tomography; Feline; Iodoacetic acid
• ISSN: 1011-8942; 2092-9382; 2092-9382
• DOI: 10.3341/kjo.2019.0082

We investigated structural changes in the retina by using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in a feline model of retinal degeneration using iodoacetic acid (IAA). We examined 22 eyes of 11 felines over 2 years of age. The felines had fasted for 12 hours and were intravenously injected with IAA 20 mg/kg of body weight. OCT (Spectralis OCT) was performed at the point where the ends of the retinal vessels collected in the lateral direction from the optic nerve head and area centralis. Similarly, OCT was performed four times at 1-week intervals following injections, at which point the felines were sacrificed and histologic examinations were performed. Using OCT, the thickness of each layer of the retina was measured. The average body weight of the three male and eight female felines investigated in this study was 1.61 ± 0.19 kg. The mean total retinal thickness of the felines before injection was 221.32 ± 9.82 μm, with a significant decrease in the retinal thickness at 2, 3, and 4 weeks following injections of 186.41 ± 35.42, 174.56 ± 31.94, and 175.35 ± 33.84 μm, respectively ( = 0.028, 0.027, and 0.027, respectively). The thickness of the outer nuclear layer was 57.49 ± 8.03 μm before injection and 29.26 ± 17.87, 25.62 ± 13.88, and 31.60 ± 18.38 μm at 2, 3, and 4 weeks, respectively, after injection ( = 0.028, 0.028, 0.046, respectively). In a feline model of retinal degeneration using IAA, the total retinal thickness and the thickness of the outer nuclear layer were shown to decrease significantly on OCT.