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[A comparative study of choroidal innervation in the human and the rabbit (oryctolagus cuniculus)]
R de Hoz1, J J Salazar, A I Ramírez
1Instituto de Investigaciones Oftalmológicas Ramón Castroviejo, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, España.
Insights
Human and rabbit choroidal innervation differs significantly, particularly in nerve fiber organization and ganglion cell distribution. These distinctions are crucial for interpreting rabbit models of human eye diseases.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neuroscience
- Comparative Anatomy
Background:
- The rabbit is a common model for human ocular diseases.
- Understanding species-specific differences in ocular structures is vital for translational research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the morphological characteristics of choroidal innervation between humans and rabbits.
- To identify key differences that may impact the utility of rabbit models in ocular research.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemical analysis of choroidal whole mounts from humans and rabbits.
- Utilized antibodies against 200 kD neurofilament to visualize nerve fibers.
Main Results:
- Both species exhibit perivascular and intervascular choroidal nerve fibers.
- Human choroid shows denser, more organized intervascular plexus at the posterior pole with numerous ganglion cells centrally located.
- Rabbit choroid has more developed perivascular networks but less organized intervascular innervation and peripherally located ganglion cells.
Conclusions:
- Significant differences exist in human and rabbit choroidal innervation patterns.
- The human pattern may support central blood flow regulation, while rabbit's differs due to lack of macula.
- These anatomical variations must be considered when using rabbits to model human eye diseases affecting choroidal blood flow.
Objective:
To analyze morphological differences between the choroidal innervation of the human and the rabbit, the latter being a species frequently used as an experimental model of human ocular diseases.
Methods:
Twelve human and 12 rabbit choroidal whole mounts were processed using an indirect immunohistochemical technique, peroxidase-anti-peroxidase and antibodies against 200 kD neurofilament.
Results:
Choroidal nerve fibers were perivascular and intervascular. Perivascular fibers surrounded all arteries forming a network that was more developed in the rabbit. In humans, intervascular fibers were mainly concentrated at the posterior pole where they formed a denser and more highly organized plexus than in the rabbit, which did not exhibit a preferential location for these fibers. Human choroidal ganglion cells were far more numerous than in the rabbit and were concentrated in a circumferential area corresponding to the entrance of the short posterior ciliary arteries of the submacular area. In the rabbit, these cells were restricted to the peripheral choroid.
Conclusions:
Some differences were observed between human and rabbit choroidal innervation. The abundance of ganglion cells and their preferential distribution could be necessary to maintain a constant blood flow in the central area of the human choroid. The lack of organization of rabbit choroidal innervation at the posterior pole could be associated with an absence of the macula. These differences, along with peculiarities of retinal vascularization, should be taken into consideration when using the rabbit as an experimental model to study human eye diseases in which regulation of choroidal blood flow is involved.
