Treatment of a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) with
recombinant human Norrin (Norrie Disease Protein, gene: NDP)
accelerates regrowth of the microvasculature into central ischemic regions of
the neural retina, which are generated after treatment with 75% oxygen.
While this reduces the average duration and severity of ischemia overall, we do
not know if this accelerated recovery of the microvasculature results in any
significant survival of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). The purpose of this study
was to investigate ganglion cell survival with and without the intravitreal
injection of Norrin in the murine model of oxygen induced retinopathy (OIR),
using two strains of mice: C57BL/6J and Thy1-YFP mice.
Intravitreal injections of Norrin or vehicle were done after five days of
exposure to 75% oxygen from ages P7 to P12. The C57BL/J mice were
followed by Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT), and the
average nerve fiber layer (NFL) and inner-plexiform layer (IPL) thicknesses were
measured at twenty-four locations per retina at P42. Additionally, some C57BL/J
retinas were flat mounted and immunostained for the RGC marker, Brn3a, to
compare the population density of surviving retinal ganglion cells. Using
homozygous Thy1-YFP mice, single intrinsically fluorescent RGCs
were imaged in live animals with a Micron-III imaging system at ages P21, 28 and
P42. The relative percentage of YFP-fluorescent RGCs with dendritic arbors were
compared. At age P42, the NFL was thicker in Norrin-injected OIR eyes, 14.4
μm, compared to Vehicle-injected OIR eyes, 13.3 μm
(p=0.01). In the superior retina, the average thickness of the IPL was
greater in Norrin-injected OIR eyes, 37.7 μm, compared to
Vehicle-injected OIR eyes, 34.6 μm (p = 0.04). Retinas from
Norrin injected OIR mice had significantly more surviving RGCs (p =
0.03) than vehicle-injected mice. Based upon NFL thickness and counts of RGCs,
we conclude that Norrin treatment, early in the ischemic phase, increased the
relative population density of surviving RGCs in the central retinas of OIR
mice.