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Multi-Functional OCT Enables Longitudinal Study of Retinal Changes in a VLDLR Knockout Mouse Model.
Marco Augustin1, Stanislava Fialová1, Tanja Himmel2
1Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Plos One
|October 7, 2016
Summary
A novel multi-functional optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging method reveals retinal changes in VLDLR knockout mice. This technique tracks neovascularization development, aiding research into retinal diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Medical Imaging
- Genetics
Background:
- Very-low-density-lipoprotein-receptor (VLDLR) knockout mice spontaneously develop retinal and choroidal neovascularizations.
- These neovascularizations resemble those seen in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP).
- Longitudinal studies are crucial for understanding the development of these pathological changes in vivo.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a multi-functional optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging approach for studying retinal changes in VLDLR knockout mice.
- To investigate the threefold contrast capabilities (reflectivity, polarization sensitivity, motion contrast) of the OCT method.
- To assess the long-term development of neovascularizations and associated processes in vivo.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a multi-functional OCT imaging approach with reflectivity, polarization sensitivity (PS), and motion contrast-based OCT angiography (OCTA).
- Conducted longitudinal imaging of VLDLR knockout mice from 4 weeks to 11 months of age, with imaging every 4-6 weeks.
- Validated in vivo imaging findings with ex vivo histological sections at the study endpoint.
Main Results:
- The multi-functional OCT approach successfully identified significant retinal changes and spontaneous neovascularizations in VLDLR knockout mice.
- The threefold contrast enabled detailed in vivo assessment of neovascularization development, melanin pigment migration, and retinal-choroidal anastomosis.
- Imaging results were corroborated by histological analysis, confirming the accuracy of the in vivo observations.
Conclusions:
- Multi-functional OCT is a powerful tool for longitudinal retinal studies in preclinical ophthalmic disease research.
- The intrinsic contrast mechanisms of functional OCT extensions aid in characterizing regulatory processes in genetic animal models.
- This approach can deepen the understanding of the pathogenesis of retinal diseases, including wet AMD.
