Effect of retinoic acid on the tight junctions of the retinal pigment epithelium-choroid complex of guinea pigs with lens-induced myopia in vivo

Abstract

Zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and occludin are important tight junction (TJ)-associated proteins, which are expressed in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)-choroid complex. Retinoic acid (RA) is a regulator of eye growth and may play an important role in forming functional TJs. The aim of this study was to detect the changes that occur in the expression of ZO-1 and occludin in the RPE-choroid complex of guinea pigs with lens-induced myopia (LIM), and to investigate the effect of RA on TJ-associated proteins in vivo. We developed an animal model of myopia by placing a −6.00 D negative lens on the right eyes of 3-week-old guinea pigs. The refractive error and axial length of the eye were measured on days 0, 3, 7 and 14. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was performed to detect the changes in endogenous RA in the RPE-choroid complex. The expression of ZO-1 and occludin was observed by immunofluorescence and assayed by western blot analysis. Additionally, 2 μl LE540 (2.5 μg/μl), an antagonist of RA receptors (RARs), was injected into the vitreous chamber of the eyes of guinea pigs with LIM and 2 μl phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) (2.5 μg/μl) were injected as a negative control. We observed no obvious change in RA, ZO-1 and occludin expression in the normal control group within 14 days. In the LIM and LIM plus PBS groups, the level of RA and the expression of ZO-1 and occludin in the RPE-choroid complex significantly increased within 14 days along with the development of myopia. However, the level of RA was inhibited and the expression of TJ-associated proteins decreased in the eyes of guinea pigs with LIM following the injection of LE540. Thus, we consider that the expression of ZO-1 and occludin is increased in the RPE-choroid complex during the development of myopia. This change in expression may be regulated by RA, a factor known to be involved in the regulation of eye growth.

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Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate, Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, Calcium, and Phosphorylated Myosin Light Chain Regulation Through M2 and M3 Muscarinic Receptors of Scleral Fibroblast Cells in Rat Myopia Model

“…Mao et al (2013) mentioned that they made myopia model in R. norvegicus with form-deprivation myopia (FDM) in guinea pig for 10 days. Wang et al (2014) mentioned the induction of LIM in guinea pigs with an S-6.00 D lens for 14 days. This is closely similar to research by Xiao et al (2014) which used a pig model given with S-7.00 D lens for 14 days, which induced myopia model [17], [18], [19], [20].…”

“…Wang et al (2014) mentioned the induction of LIM in guinea pigs with an S-6.00 D lens for 14 days. This is closely similar to research by Xiao et al (2014) which used a pig model given with S-7.00 D lens for 14 days, which induced myopia model [17], [18], [19], [20]. In our preliminary study (Figure 6a), we found that there was a change in the eyeball's axial length in our samples that received the LIM treatment compared to the control samples.…”