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Noninvasive temporal detection of early retinal vascular changes during diabetes.

ABSTRACT: Diabetes associated complications, including diabetic retinopathy and loss of vision, are major health concerns. Detecting early retinal vascular changes during diabetes is not well documented, and only few studies have addressed this domain. The purpose of this study was to noninvasively evaluate temporal changes in retinal vasculature at very early stages of diabetes using fundus images from preclinical models of diabetes. Non-diabetic and Akita/+ male mice with different duration of diabetes were subjected to fundus imaging using a Micron III imaging system. The images were obtained from 4 weeks- (onset of diabetes), 8 weeks-, 16 weeks-, and 24 weeks-old male Akita/+ and non-diabetic mice. In total 104 fundus images were subjected to analysis for various feature extractions. A combination of Canny Edge Detector and Angiogenesis Analyzer plug-ins in ImageJ were utilized to quantify various retinal vascular changes in fundus images. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine significant differences in the various extracted features from fundus images of diabetic and non-diabetic animals. Our novel image analysis method led to extraction of over 20 features. These results indicated that some of these features were significantly changed with a short duration of diabetes, and others remained the same but changed after longer duration of diabetes. These patterns likely distinguish acute (protective) and chronic (damaging) associated changes with diabetes. We show that with a combination of various plugging one can extract over 20 features from retinal vasculature fundus images. These features change during diabetes, thus allowing the quantification of quality of retinal vascular architecture as biomarkers for disease progression. In addition, our method was able to identify unique differences among diabetic mice with different duration of diabetes. The ability to noninvasively detect temporal retinal vascular changes during diabetes could lead to identification of specific markers important in the development and progression of diabetes mediated-microvascular changes, evaluation of therapeutic interventions, and eventual reversal of these changes in order to stop or delay disease progression.

SUBMITTER: Saghiri MA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7567079 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Aims/hypothesisDiabetic retinopathy is increasing in prevalence worldwide and is fast becoming a global epidemic and a leading cause of visual loss. Current therapies are limited, and the development of effective treatments for diabetic retinopathy requires a greater in-depth knowledge of disease progression and suitable modelling of diabetic retinopathy in animals. The aim of this study was to assess the early pathological changes in retinal morphology and neuronal, inflammatory and vascular features consistent with diabetic retinopathy in the ob/ob mouse model of type 2 diabetes, to investigate whether features similar to those in human diabetic retinopathy were present.MethodsMale and female wild-type (+/+), heterozygous (+/-) and homozygous (-/-) BTBR ob/ob mice were examined at 6, 10, 15 and 20 weeks of age. Animals were weighed and blood glucose was measured. TUNEL and brain-specific homeobox/POU domain protein 3A (BRN3A) markers were used to examine retinal ganglion cells. We used immunostaining (collagen IV and platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule [PECAM]/CD31) to reveal retinal vessel degeneration. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography was used to reveal changes in the thickness and structure of the retinal layer. Vitreous fluorophotometry was used to investigate vascular permeability. A-waves, b-waves and oscillatory potentials were measured under photopic and scotopic conditions. Concanavalin A leucostasis and immunostaining with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ionised calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (IBA-1) identified differences in inflammatory status. Paraffin sections and transmission electron microscopy were used to reveal changes in the thickness and structure of the retinal layer.ResultsFollowing the development of obesity and hyperglycaemia in 2-week-old and 3-week-old ob-/ob- mice, respectively (p < 0.001), early functional deficits (p < 0.001) and thinning of the inner retina (p < 0.001) were identified. Glial activation, leucostasis (p < 0.05) and a shift in microglia/macrophage phenotype were observed before microvascular degeneration (p < 0.05) and elevated vascular permeability occurred (p < 0.05).Conclusions/interpretationThe present characterisation of the development of diabetic retinopathy in the ob/ob mouse represents a platform that will enable the development of new therapies, particularly for the early stages of disease.

Project description:The purpose of this study is to investigate whether increases in the blood flow from the heart (the cardiac output), induced by the administration of intravenous fluids, lead to an increase in the blood flow to the vital organs, in patients undergoing bowel surgery. This study will involve 2 phases. Firstly, potential volunteers will be invited to meet the research fellow (medical doctor) undertaking this study, who will check their suitability to participate in the study and who will obtain informed consent. The second phase is the study itself which will take place whilst volunteers are having their bowel operation. They will attend theatre in the normal way, but once they have been anaesthetised (put to sleep), a special monitor called an oesophageal doppler probe will be placed into their oesophagus (food pipe) via the nose. This monitor is frequently used in bowel surgery to help assess how much intravenous fluid to administer to a patient by measuring the cardiac output (the amount of blood pumped out of the heart each minute). Using the cannula (drip) already inserted in the arm to allow administration of the anaesthetic, a special fluid, called an ultrasound contrast agent, will be injected into the drip, to allow a contrast enhanced ultrasound scan of the abdominal organs to be performed, to measure the blood flow to these organs. A small sample of blood will be taken from the earlobe to allow us to measure a chemical in the blood called lactate. After this, intravenous fluid will be administered in order to increase the amount of blood pumped out of the heart. Once the oesophageal doppler monitor suggests that an adequate amount of fluid has been given, a second ultrasound scan will be performed to measure whether blood flow to the abdominal organs has also increased. A further blood sample will be taken from your earlobe to measure any change in lactate level. At the completion of the operation, a third ultrasound scan will be performed and another sample of blood taken from the earlobe, to help assess blood flow to the organs.

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Noninvasive temporal detection of early retinal vascular changes during diabetes.

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