Objective To investigate the apoptosis of photoreceptor cells in experimental model of retinal detachment in mice. Methods Thirty-six adult C57Bl/6J mice were divided into 2 groups: retinal detachment model was set up in the left eyes of 18 mice by subretinal injection with 1.4% sodium hyaluronate in the experimental group, while the left eyes of other 18 mice underwent scleral puncture only as the control. The retinal sections were stained with histochemical and immunofluorescent staining and examined by confocal microscopy 1,3,7 and 28 days after injection. eye enucleated, and retinal sections studied by histochemistry, immunofluorescence labeling, and confocal microscopy. Rods, cones, and apoptotic cells were labeled by antibodies of anti-rod and anti-cone cells, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL), respectively. Photoreceptor cell apoptosis and cell loss were assessed quantitatively by counting both surviving and apoptotic rod and cone cells. Results TUNEL-positive cells were only found in the outer nuclear layer (ONL) of the detached portion of the retina, which were detected at the 1st day after the detachment. The apoptosis of the cells reached the peak at the 3rd day and decreased sharply after 7 days. Photoreceptor cell loss of both rod and cone cells followed a similar time course after retinal detachment. Conclusion Apoptosis is a major pathological degeneration of photoreceptor cell death after retinal detachment. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 2006, 22: 124-127)

Citation： YANG Liu. Apoptosis of photoreceptor cell in experimental model of retinal detachment in mice. Chinese Journal of Ocular Fundus Diseases, 2006, 22(2): 124-127. doi: Copy