Analysis and medication of retinal circulatory disturbance in transgenic mice with human aldose

1997 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 07671901
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Ophthalmology
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: HOMMURA Sachiko University of Tsukuba, Institute Clinical Medicine, Associate Professor, 臨床医学系, 教授 (30110505)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TAKEI Kazuo University of Tsukuba, Institute Clinical Medicine, Lecturer, 臨床医学系, 講師 (20236409)
• Project Period (FY): 1995 – 1997
• Keywords: diabetes mellitus / retinal circulation / Endothelin / CGRP / fluorecein angiography / non-RI in situ hybridization

Research Abstract

The latest paper showed that an increase in the endogenous expression of ET-1 contributes to the reduction of retinal blood flow reported in the early stages of diabetes mellitus (Regulation of retinal hemodynamics in diabetic by increased expression and action of endothelin-1, Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 1996 ; 37 : 2054-2518).
However, a video fluorecein angiography cannot provide an exact assessment of retinal circulation since fluorecein sodium easily bonds to serum albumin, red blood cells or any activated tissues with alleviating its fluorescence. We are exploring some chemical particles or microspheres that do not bond to anything in the vessels.
A new fundus camera (KOWA) might break through the difficulties to take fundus photographs of small animals that we failed last year. However, it costs more than our fund, approximately 1.5 million yen. Therefore, we started to prepare non-RI in situ hybridization of mRNA of endothelins and CGRP in mouse and rabbit eyes, that has not been examined enough to indicate vascular responses to the exogenous peptides.