Abstract
The purpose of the present study is to clarify the specific retinal vascular changes in rat models of single spontaneous or hereditary systemic diseases. We used Wistar Kyoto (WKy) rats 6 months of age as normal controls, 24-month-old Wistar Kyoto rats in studies of aging, 16-month-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), 18-month-old rats with inherited hypercholesterolemia (RICO) for arteriosclerosis, and 18-month-old Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats for diabetes mellitus. Retinal vascular corrosion casts were made and observed with a scanning electron microscope. The retinal vessels were also examined with a transmission electron microscope. Specific changes in the retinal vessels were: narrowing and thin thread-like capillaries in aging; capillary tortuosity, irregularity and narrowing in hypertension; straightening in hypercholesterolemia; and loop formation and microaneurysms in diabetes mellitus. These specific changes in the retinal vessels in each systemic disease can be clearly and easily revealed in a three-dimensional fashion by corrosion casts followed by scanning electron microscopy.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 237-244 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Italian journal of anatomy and embryology = Archivio italiano di anatomia ed embriologia |
| Volume | 106 |
| Issue number | 2 Suppl 1 |
| State | Published - 2001 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Anatomy
- Embryology