Postnatal mammalian retinal development: Quantitative data and general rules

Kuhrt, Heidrun; Gryga, Martin; Wolburg, Hartwig; Joffe, Boris; Grosche, Jens; Reichenbach, Andreas; Noori, Hamid

doi:10.1016/j.preteyeres.2012.08.001

Cited by 36 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…This is in agreement with observations of other precocial mammals [Kuhrt et al, 2012]. Whereas the eyes of newborn elephants were rather spherical (as also observed in an infantile African elephant [Stone and Halasz, 1989], but not in juvenile Asian elephants [Bapodra et al, 2010]), the eyes of adult elephants appeared "flattened" [Murphy Bapodra et al, 2010;Pettigrew et al, 2010].…”

Section: Developmental Growth Processes: Macroscopic Changessupporting

confidence: 90%

“…This factor is similarly low compared to those for rhinoceros and llama eyes, while in most of the other mammals studied the eyes grow considerably more after birth, i.e., up to 17-fold in rats [Kuhrt et al, 2012]. Similarly, the developmental increase in retinal surface area is only about 1.4-fold; this is at the minimum level for mammals (similar to the guinea pig and the llama), while in some other species (rabbit, ferret, and tiger) this factor is about 6 [Kuhrt et al, 2012]. Partially, this can be explained by the general difference between precocial (less postnatal growth) and altricial animals (much postnatal eye growth).…”

Section: Developmental Growth Processes: Macroscopic Changesmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…Whereas the eyes of newborn elephants were rather spherical (as also observed in an infantile African elephant [Stone and Halasz, 1989], but not in juvenile Asian elephants [Bapodra et al, 2010]), the eyes of adult elephants appeared "flattened" [Murphy Bapodra et al, 2010;Pettigrew et al, 2010]. Developmental changes in eye shape have also been observed in some (but not all) other mammalian species [Kuhrt et al, 2012]; it is noteworthy that in rabbits eye shape changes in the opposite way from newborn to adult [Reichenbach et al, 1991].…”

Section: Developmental Growth Processes: Macroscopic Changesmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…In addition, the densities of neuronal and photoreceptor cell somata in the three cellular layers of the retina were higher in the retinas of the newborn animals than in the retinas of adult animals (Table 5). The postnatal decreases in the densities of neuronal and glial cells can be explained by the horizontal expansion of the retinal surface area which occurs via tissue stretching during the postnatal growth of the eyeball and which has been observed in retinas of other mammalian species [Reichenbach and Bringmann, 2010;Kuhrt et al, 2012]. This process results in thinning of the retinal tissue which is recognizable in the thickness of the INL that is larger in the newborn elephants than in the adult elephants, while the thickness of the ONL displayed different postnatal developments in both elephant species (Table 6).…”

Section: Neuron-to-glia Ratiomentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Retina of Asian and African Elephants: Comparison of Newborn and Adult

Kuhrt¹,

Bringmann²,

Härtig³

et al. 2017

Brain Behav Evol

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Elephants are precocial mammals that are relatively mature as newborns and mobile shortly after birth. To determine whether the retina of newborn elephants is capable of supporting the mobility of elephant calves, we compared the retinal structures of 2 newborn elephants (1 African and 1 Asian) and 2 adult animals of both species by immunohistochemical and morphometric methods. For the first time, we present here a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative characterization of the cellular composition of the newborn and the adult retinas of 2 elephant species. We found that the retina of elephants is relatively mature at birth. All retinal layers were well discernible, and various retinal cell types were detected in the newborns, including Müller glial cells (expressing glutamine synthetase and cellular retinal binding protein; CRALBP), cone photoreceptors (expressing S-opsin or M/L-opsin), protein kinase Cα-expressing bipolar cells, tyrosine hydroxylase-, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-, calbindin-, and calretinin-expressing amacrine cells, and calbindin-expressing horizontal cells. The retina of newborn elephants contains discrete horizontal cells which coexpress ChAT, calbindin, and calretinin. While the overall structure of the retina is very similar between newborn and adult elephants, various parameters change after birth. The postnatal thickening of the retinal ganglion cell axons and the increase in ganglion cell soma size are explained by the increase in body size after birth, and the decreases in the densities of neuronal and glial cells are explained by the postnatal expansion of the retinal surface area. The expression of glutamine synthetase and CRALBP in the Müller cells of newborn elephants suggests that the cells are already capable of supporting the activities of photoreceptors and neurons. As a peculiarity, the elephant retina contains both normally located and displaced giant ganglion cells, with single cells reaching a diameter of more than 50 µm in adults and therefore being almost in the range of giant retinal ganglion cells found in aquatic mammals. Some of these ganglion cells are displaced into the inner nuclear layer, a unique feature of terrestrial mammals. For the first time, we describe here the occurrence of many bistratified rod bipolar cells in the elephant retina. These bistratified bipolar cells may improve nocturnal contrast perception in elephants given their arrhythmic lifestyle.

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Section: Developmental Growth Processes: Macroscopic Changessupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Developmental Growth Processes: Macroscopic Changesmentioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Developmental Growth Processes: Macroscopic Changesmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Neuron-to-glia Ratiomentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Retina of Asian and African Elephants: Comparison of Newborn and Adult

Kuhrt¹,

Bringmann²,

Härtig³

et al. 2017

Brain Behav Evol

Self Cite

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“…This indicates that the elimination of drug via choroidal circulation could be larger in rabbits than in monkeys, resulting in less drug transport to the retina in rabbits. Kuhrt et al 22 reported that the mean retinal surface areas (in mm 2 ) in adult rabbits and monkeys were 520 and 960, respectively. This indicates that the monkey retina could retain much more drug than the rabbit retina.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pharmacokinetic and Safety Evaluation of a Transscleral Sustained Unoprostone Release Device in Monkey Eyes

Nagai

Yamada

Kawasaki³

et al. 2018

Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci.

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Citation: Nagai N, Yamada S, Kawasaki J, et al. Pharmacokinetic and safety evaluation of a transscleral sustained unoprostone release device in monkey eyes. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2018;59:644-652. https://doi.org/ 10.1167/iovs.17-22429 PURPOSE. We evaluate the ocular tissue distribution and retinal toxicity of unoprostone (UNO) during 12 months, after transscleral sustained-UNO administration using a drug delivery device in monkey eyes. METHODS.The device consisted of a reservoir, controlled-release cover, and a drug formulation of photopolymerized polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate. Six mg UNO was loaded into the device (length, 17 mm; width, 4.4 mm; height, 1 mm). The concentrations of M1, a primary metabolite of UNO, in the retina, choroid, vitreous, lens, aqueous humor, iris, ciliary body, and plasma were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry at 3, 6, and 12 months after implantation. Retinal toxicity was evaluated by electroretinography (ERG), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and IOP at preimplantation, and at 6, 9, and 12 months after implantation. Focal ERGs were performed at 9 and 12 months after implantation.RESULTS. M1 was detected in the choroid and retina with maximum peaks of 243.2 and 8.41 ng/g at 6 months, respectively. M1 in the ciliary body and iris was detected with maximum peaks of 7.66 and 10.4 ng/g at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Less than 1 ng/mL or ng/g of M1 was detected in the aqueous humor, vitreous, and lens. No changes were observed in retinal function as assessed by ERG, IOP, or macula thickness and retinal histology by OCT examinations during the 12-month period. No differences in focal ERG amplitudes, especially in the macula, were observed.CONCLUSIONS. The device provided intraocular sustained delivery of UNO for 12 months without producing severe retinal toxicity.

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Pre‐ and Postnatal Development of the Eye: A Species Comparison

Cruchten

Vrolyk

Lepage

et al. 2017

Birth Defects Research

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In this review paper, literature data on pre- and postnatal eye development are compared between humans and nonclinical species that are commonly used for human safety assessment, namely, mouse, rat, rabbit, dog, minipig, and nonhuman primates. Some new data on rat and minipig ocular development are also included. This compiled information can be helpful for species selection in juvenile toxicity studies or assist in the interpretation of (non)clinical data during pediatric drug development. Despite some differences in developmental windows and anatomical peculiarities, such as the lack of a fovea centralis in nonprimate species or the presence of a nictitating membrane in some nonclinical species, the functioning and development of the eye is strikingly similar between humans and other mammals. As such, all commonly used nonclinical species appear to be relatively good models for human eye development, although some practical constraints such as size may be a limiting factor. Birth Defects Research 109:1540-1567, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Postnatal mammalian retinal development: Quantitative data and general rules

Cited by 36 publications

References 47 publications

The Retina of Asian and African Elephants: Comparison of Newborn and Adult

The Retina of Asian and African Elephants: Comparison of Newborn and Adult

Pharmacokinetic and Safety Evaluation of a Transscleral Sustained Unoprostone Release Device in Monkey Eyes

Pre‐ and Postnatal Development of the Eye: A Species Comparison

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