[Transplantation of neural stem cells in experimental retinopathy]

A stable and easily reproducible model of experimental retinopathy was constructed in rabbits. The influence of transplanted neural stem cells (NSC) on the functional activity of the retina was studied. Retinopathy was provoked by 0.04 mg of kainic acid introduced intravitreously. The cultivated NSCs were transplanted into the vitreous bodies of the right (experimental) eyes, physiological solution was administered into the left (control) eyes. Clinical examinations of the eyeball in the experimental group showed less pronounced proliferative changes and a lack of gliosis, whereas, in the control group, the retina looked like tissue with fibrous changes and glial bars. An evaluation of the functional activity of the retina denoted a reliably better function of rod bipolars and Muller glias in the eyes with transplanted NSCs during the whole follow-up.