Establishment and analyses of rodent model of optic neuritis in neuromyelitis optics

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25462715
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Ophthalmology
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: Kanamori Akiyasu 神戸大学, 医学部附属病院, 講師 (10444572)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): NAKASHIMA Ichiro 東北大学, 医学研究科神経内科学, 准教授 (50333810) ; NEGI Akira 元神戸大学, 医学研究科眼科学, 教授 (00189359)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 視神経炎脊髄炎 / 視神経炎 / アクアポリン４ / アストロサイト / ヒト免疫グロブリン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an autoimmune inflammatory, neurodestructive disease primarily targeting the optic nerve and spinal cord. We evaluated the impact of sera of seropositive patients with NMO on the rodent optic nerve and retina. Serum which obtained from patients with seropositive NMO (AQP4+), decreased the expression of AQP4+ amd GFAP at the 7 days after the treatment. The gene expression of neurofilament in retina from the eye that was exposed to the AQP4+ sera at 14 days. Retrograde fluorogold-labeling on the retinal flatmount disclosed the significantly reduced number of retinal ganglion cells when the AQP4+ sera were applied. This has demonstrated that the sera from patients with seropositive NMO led to the regional astrocytic degeneration and inflammatory cell invasion in the optic nerve. The administration of human IgG reduced optic nerve degeneration in a rat model of NMO-optic neuritis.

Free Research Field

眼科学