[A role of the retinal pigment epithelium in the involution of subretinal neovascularization]

We clarified a role of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in the regression of experimentally induced subretinal neovascularization (SRN) in monkey. Eight eyes of 5 rhesus monkeys were used in this study. Two weeks after intense krypton laser photocoagulation to the posterior pole of the fundus, 0.5M l-ornithine hydrochloride solution 0.03 ml was injected intravitreously for the purpose of selective RPE damage. After ornithine injection, SRN continued without any evidence of spontaneous regression over 8 weeks following photocoagulation. Histopathologically, SRN developed with wide lumen in the subretinal space accompanied with serous detachment of the sensory retina, and new vessels were not enveloped completely by the proliferating RPE cells. We already showed that experimentally induced subretinal neovascularizations naturally regress spontaneously by envelopment of RPE cells 5 to 8 weeks after photocoagulation. Our results suggested that SRN persist actively without regression due to incomplete enclosure by RPE by selective damage of RPE at the active stage of SRN. We have confirmed that the RPE cells played an important role at the involution stage of SRN.