TY - JOUR
T1 - Retinal Explant of the Adult Mouse Retina as an Ex Vivo Model for Studying Retinal Neurovascular Diseases
AU - Elmasry, Khaled
AU - Moustafa, Mohamed
AU - Al-Shabrawey, Mohamed
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank the National Institute of Health (NIH) Funding Grant to the National Eye Institute (R01 EY030054) to Dr. Mohamed Al-Shabrawey. We would like to thank Kathy Wolosiewicz for helping us with the video narration. We would like to thank Dr. Ken Mitton of the Eye Research Institute's Pediatric Retinal Research lab, Oakland University, for his help during the usage of the surgical microscope and recording. This video was edited and directed by Dr. Khaled Elmasry.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 JoVE Journal of Visualized Experiments.
PY - 2022/12/1
Y1 - 2022/12/1
N2 - One of the challenges in retina research is studying the cross-talk between different retinal cells such as retinal neurons, glial cells, and vascular cells. Isolating, culturing, and sustaining retinal neurons in vitro have technical and biological limitations. Culturing retinal explants may overcome these limitations and offer a unique ex vivo model to study the cross-talk between various retinal cells with well-controlled biochemical parameters and independent of the vascular system. Moreover, retinal explants are an effective screening tool for studying novel pharmacological interventions in various retinal vascular and neurodegenerative diseases such as diabetic retinopathy. Here, we describe a detailed protocol for retinal explants' isolation and culture for an extended period. The manuscript also presents some of the technical problems during this procedure that may affect the desired outcomes and reproducibility of the retinal explant culture. The immunostaining of the retinal vessels, glial cells, and neurons demonstrated intact retinal capillaries and neuroglial cells after 2 weeks from the beginning of the retinal explant culture. This establishes retinal explants as a reliable tool for studying changes in the retinal vasculature and neuroglial cells under conditions that mimic retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy.
AB - One of the challenges in retina research is studying the cross-talk between different retinal cells such as retinal neurons, glial cells, and vascular cells. Isolating, culturing, and sustaining retinal neurons in vitro have technical and biological limitations. Culturing retinal explants may overcome these limitations and offer a unique ex vivo model to study the cross-talk between various retinal cells with well-controlled biochemical parameters and independent of the vascular system. Moreover, retinal explants are an effective screening tool for studying novel pharmacological interventions in various retinal vascular and neurodegenerative diseases such as diabetic retinopathy. Here, we describe a detailed protocol for retinal explants' isolation and culture for an extended period. The manuscript also presents some of the technical problems during this procedure that may affect the desired outcomes and reproducibility of the retinal explant culture. The immunostaining of the retinal vessels, glial cells, and neurons demonstrated intact retinal capillaries and neuroglial cells after 2 weeks from the beginning of the retinal explant culture. This establishes retinal explants as a reliable tool for studying changes in the retinal vasculature and neuroglial cells under conditions that mimic retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85144635849&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.3791/63966
DO - 10.3791/63966
M3 - Article
C2 - 36571409
AN - SCOPUS:85144635849
SN - 1940-087X
VL - 2022
JO - Journal of Visualized Experiments
JF - Journal of Visualized Experiments
IS - 190
M1 - e63966
ER -
