Ocular pathogenesis and immune reaction after intravitreal dispase injection in mice

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the current study was to examine the ocular pathogenesis and immune reaction in mice after intravitreal dispase injection.

Methods

Three microliters of dispase at a concentration of 0.2 U/μl were injected into the vitreal cavities of 4–6-week-old mice. Hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunofluorescence analysis, and electroretinograms of the eyes were then performed to assess ocular changes, and enzyme-linked immunospot assays and intracellular staining of single-cell suspensions of the spleens were used to detect immune changes during an 8 week observation period.

Results

Neutrophils were the main inflammatory infiltrating cells appearing at the anterior chamber. No cluster of differentiation (CD)3+ labeled T cells, F4/80+ labeled macrophages, or CD56+ labeled natural killer cells were found in the vitreal cavities or retinas in dispase-injected mice within 5 days after injection. Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR)-like signs first appeared at 2 weeks, gradually increased thereafter, and reached peak values at 8 weeks. There was a statistically significant difference in b-wave amplitudes between the PVR and saline-control eyes. Enzyme-linked immunospot assays and intracellular staining showed that specific CD4+ and CD8+ labeled T cells were not involved in dispase-injected mice.

Conclusions

Our data show that neutrophils in the anterior chamber and PVR-like signs in the retinas were found, and that specific immune reactions were not involved after intravitreal dispase injection in mice.