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1 From the Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, the 2 Vascular Biology Center, and the 3 Departments of Ophthalmology and 5 Pediatrics, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia; and 4 Faculty of Medicine, El-Mansoura University, El-Mansoura, Egypt.
| Abstract |
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METHODS. The effects of hyperoxia on revascularization and vitreous neovascularization were compared between mice raised in 75% oxygen from postnatal day (P)7 to P12, followed by room air recovery and mice raised in 75% oxygen from P7 to P27. The status of astrocytes and Müller cells was evaluated by glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunohistochemistry on retinal wholemounts and serial sections. A window of susceptibility to oxygen-induced vaso-obliteration was defined by comparing the extent of retinal vaso-obliteration resulting from 2 days of hyperoxia beginning on P7, P9, P11, P13, or P15.
RESULTS. Oxygen-induced vaso-obliteration of retinal capillaries was limited to the period between birth and P15. Paradoxically, revascularization was markedly accelerated and neovascularization markedly reduced in mice maintained in prolonged hyperoxia (P7P27) compared with mice recovering in room air. The extended use of 75% oxygen during the recovery period was associated with preservation of astrocytes and Müller cells in the avascular retina.
CONCLUSIONS. The antiangiogenic effect of hyperoxia on retinal capillaries is strongly dependent on postnatal age. A protocol of continuous 75% supplemental oxygen accelerates recovery of inner retinal vasculature and prevents vitreous neovascularization, by a mechanism that may involve preservation of inner retinal glia.
| Introduction |
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Prior investigations have suggested that pathologic alterations in the inner limiting membrane and associated glia may be involved in promoting vitreous neovascularization.1 2 Increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)3 4 5 and decreased expression of pigment epitheliumderived factor (PEDF) in the ischemic retina6 may also be involved, leading to overstimulation of angiogenesis.
Experimental work in animal models has demonstrated that supplemental oxygen can attenuate the severity of vitreous neovascularization in ischemic retinopathy,7 8 9 decrease the overexpression of VEGF,3 4 increase the expression of PEDF,6 and reduce degeneration of retinal astrocytes.8 9 However, a recently completed clinical trial in human infants with prethreshold ROP failed to demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in the rate of progression to threshold ROP in infants given supplemental oxygen.10 These apparently conflicting data led us to hypothesize that the timing of oxygen exposure may be a critical determinant of its effects on angiogenesis in the retina.
Using a well-established mouse model of ROP, we demonstrated a defined window of time in the early perinatal period during which breathing 75% oxygen profoundly inhibited angiogenesis and caused obliteration of retinal capillaries. Paradoxically however, in mice with continued exposure to 75% oxygen, accelerated recovery of previously damaged capillary beds and essentially complete inhibition of vitreous neovascularization were noted, compared with mice recovering in room air. The effects of hyperoxia on vascular recovery were associated with preservation of glia in the ischemic areas of the retina, suggesting their possible role in this process.
| Materials and Methods |
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Mouse Model of Proliferative Retinopathy and Protocols for
Supplemental Oxygen
Oxygen-induced retinopathy was induced in newborn mice according
to the protocol of Smith et al.11
On P7, newborn mice were
placed along with their dams into 75% oxygen for up to 5 days
(postnatal day [P]12), after which they were transferred back to
cages in room air. Room temperature was maintained at 20°C, and
illumination was provided by standard fluorescent lighting on a 12-hour
lightdark cycle. Pups were nursed by their dams and given food
(standard mouse chow) and water ad libitum.
In the mice receiving supplemental oxygen, the newborn mice and dams were kept in constant 75% oxygen from P7 to P27, with no periods of normoxia. Pups were removed at P17, P22, and P27 for analysis of retinal vascularization, vitreous neovascularization, and GFAP immunohistochemistry. One group of mice (n = 5) was returned to room air on P28 and their retinas analyzed for evidence of neovascularization on P32.
To determine the effect of postnatal age on the ability of 75% oxygen to induce vaso-obliteration, groups of mice (n = 56) were exposed to 2 days of constant 75% oxygen, beginning on P7, P9, P11, P13, or P15. At the end of the 2-day period of hyperoxia, the mice were killed by cervical dislocation, and their retinas analyzed for vaso-obliteration, as described later.
Visualization of Retina Vasculature and Quantitation of
Vaso-obliteration
Vaso-obliteration and retinal vascular pattern were analyzed
using retinal flatmounts labeled with biotinylated G.
simplicifolia lectin B4 and Texas redconjugated avidin D, as
previously described.11
12
Retinae were viewed with
fluorescence microscopy (Axiophot; Carl Zeiss, Chester, VA) and the
images captured in digital format (Spot System; Diagnostic Instruments,
Sterling Heights, MI). The central capillary dropout area was
quantified from the digital images in masked fashion, using an imaging
system (IPLab Spectrum Scientific Image System; Signal Analytics,
Vienna, VA).
Quantitation of Vitreous Neovascularization
Quantitation of vitreous neovascularization on P17 was performed
using a modification12
of a technique described by Smith
et al.11
Briefly, 10-µm-thick serial sections, each
separated by at least 40 µm, were taken from around the region of the
optic nerve. The hematoxylin and eosinstained sections were examined
in masked fashion for the presence of neovascular tufts projecting into
the vitreous from the retina. The neovascular score was defined as the
mean number of neovascular tufts per section found in eight sections
(four on each side of the optic nerve) per eye.
GFAP Immunohistochemistry
Wholemount retinas were permeabilized with phosphate-buffered
saline (PBS) containing 1% Triton X-100, and nonspecific antibody
binding was blocked with 10% normal goat serum for 30 minutes. Retinae
were incubated overnight at 4°C with rabbit polyclonal anti-GFAP
antibody (Dako, Carpinteria, CA) diluted 1:100 in PBS containing 0.5%
Triton X-100. After washing in PBS, retinas were incubated with Texas
redconjugated donkey anti-rabbit antibody at 1:500 (Molecular Probes,
Eugene, OR) for 4 to 6 hours at 4°C. Retinae were washed with PBS,
mounted on microscope slides in mounting medium (Vectashield; Vector
Laboratories), and examined by fluorescence microscopy (Axiophot; Carl
Zeiss).
For GFAP labeling of cryosections, sections were brought to room temperature for 15 minutes and fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde for 6 minutes. After washing with PBS, sections were permeabilized with PBS containing 0.1% Triton X-100 and blocked with 1% bovine serum albumin for 30 minutes. Sections were incubated overnight at 4°C with rabbit polyclonal anti-GFAP antibody (Dako) diluted 1:100 in PBS containing 0.5% Triton X-100. After washing in PBS, sections were incubated with Texas redconjugated donkey anti-rabbit antibody at 1:500 (Molecular Probes) for 4 to 6 hours at 4°C, washed with PBS, covered in mounting medium (Vectashield; Vector Laboratories) under a coverslip and examined by fluorescence microscopy (Axiophot; Carl Zeiss).
| Results |
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| Discussion |
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Previous studies have suggested that hyperoxia-induced suppression of VEGF causes endothelial cell apoptosis3 4 in nascent capillaries without a pericyte coating13 and that exogenous administration of VEGF can rescue retinal vessels from oxygen-mediated apoptosis. Although the molecular mechanisms are not well understood, the vaso-obliterative effects of hyperoxia are significantly reduced in mice without functional endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) or in mice given pharmacologic inhibitors of eNOS.12 However, our present data indicate that retinal capillary sensitivity to hyperoxia may be a unique feature of early retinal vascular development and not a feature of newly forming capillaries in general.
Our analysis in the mouse indicates that a relatively sharp transition occurs in the retina between P11 and P15, after which hyperoxia causes neither capillary vaso-obliteration nor suppression of angiogenesis. That this transition occurred under both normoxic and hyperoxic conditions suggests that the underlying mechanism is not closely regulated by oxygen tension, unless perhaps there are adaptive changes in key oxygen-sensitive control mechanisms.
Several clinical observations suggest that an analogous transition in oxygen sensitivity also occurs in the human retina. First, the proliferative phase of human ROP is more closely linked to postconceptional than to postnatal age.14 15 Data from two large clinical series demonstrate that the onset of neovascularization in ROP generally does not occur before 28 to 30 weeks after conception and peaks at 35 to 37 weeks.14 15 These observations suggest a programmed change in vascular physiology in which a change in oxygen sensitivity occurs during the period at 30 to 35 weeks after conception. Finally, established neovascularization in human ROP can persist or progress in spite of supplemental oxygen,10 implying that the antiangiogenic effects of oxygen in the human retina may also be temporal.
The mechanism by which capillaries acquire their tolerance to hyperoxia is not entirely clear. Data from Benjamin et al.13 indicate that capillary endothelia in the retina lose their sensitivity to oxygen when they acquire a pericyte coating and that VEGF and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-B help mediate pericyte recruitment. Our observation of accelerated revascularization in continuous hyperoxia, a condition known to suppress VEGF expression, raises questions about the role that VEGF plays in the acquisition of oxygen tolerance. It also raises questions about the role that VEGF plays in driving the angiogenesis associated with revascularization. Although VEGF expression is also known to be regulated in part by the concentration of glucose,16 17 18 19 20 additional studies specifically designed to evaluate VEGF expression are needed to resolve these questions. Other studies have suggested that type 2 astrocyte-derived fibroblast growth factor may act as a key survival factor for retinal capillaries.1 The increased survival of astrocytes that we observed in mice subjected to prolonged hyperoxia would be consistent with a role for an astrocyte-derived factor in promoting vascular recovery.
In addition to accelerated revascularization, we also observed a dramatic inhibition of vitreous neovascularization by exposure to continuous supplemental 75% oxygen. Although this may have been partly due to decreased expression of hypoxia-sensitive angiogenic growth factors (e.g., VEGF) or to increased expression of antiangiogenic factors (e.g., PEDF), it may also have been related to preservation of glia and an intact inner limiting membrane. That vitreous neovascularization was blocked, whereas retinal revascularization was simultaneously accelerated argues more strongly for a mechanism based on preserved compartmentalization and regulation rather than suppressed angiogenesis. These data corroborate several studies that have drawn attention to the possible role of glia cells in retinal vascular development and vitreous neovascularization.1 2 10 21 22 23 24
A role for glia degeneration in promoting vitreous neovascularization is also indirectly supported by data from other investigators who attempted to produce vitreous neovascularization by increasing the levels of VEGF, either by intravitreal injections25 or endogenous overexpression in the retina of genetically modified mice.26 Although the VEGF overexpression promoted the development of intraretinal microvascular abnormalities, the glia in the inner retina were not compromised, and vitreous neovascularization did not occur in those settings.25 26
Because our data on the rate of revascularization appear to contradict the findings of Chan-Ling et al.,8 it is important to mention several key differences between the studies that may help to reconcile the findings. First, it is not clear how the timing of supplemental oxygen in their studies relates to the intrinsic oxygen sensitivity of the retinal vessels in the kitten. This is an important point, because we have shown that the effect of hyperoxia on developing vessels can change dramatically as a function of age. Second, we used a constant level of supplemental oxygen throughout. Chan-Ling et al. used empirically derived regimens of supplemental oxygen in which the oxygen concentrations were frequently changed at 4-day intervals. The effect of these changes and their relationship to the period of oxygen sensitivity in the cat is difficult to determine and makes comparison with our results difficult. Finally, they showed a greater than 20-fold difference (23% vs. 1%) in revascularization between animals maintained in low levels (30% O2) of supplemental oxygen and those given high levels (50% O2), after 4 days, but only a 2-fold difference (83% vs. 42%) after 28 days.8 This finding may be interpreted as showing a relative acceleration in revascularization over time in animals exposed to high levels of supplemental oxygen. Thus, the findings of Chan-Ling et al. do not necessarily contradict our findings.
In conclusion, the effect of hyperoxia on vascular proliferation and remodeling is highly dependent on the developmental state of the retina and thus on the time frame during which it is administered. During the initial formation of retinal capillaries and vessels, hyperoxia causes profound disruption of vessel formation and leads to widespread vaso-obliteration. A critical and presumably permanent transition in oxygen sensitivity subsequently occurs (in normoxic or hyperoxic conditions), after which hyperoxia no longer causes obliteration of capillaries or suppression of angiogenesis. After this transition, the provision of continuous supplemental oxygen actually accelerates the process of retinal revascularization, while simultaneously preventing vitreous neovascularization. Although the mechanism for these effects is not clear, the increased survival of astrocytes and Müller glia in the avascular retinal tissue may be involved. We speculate that the survival of these cells supports revascularization and helps prevent neovascularization by maintaining appropriate tissue compartmentalization. Further studies are needed to explore the potential use of supplemental oxygen in ROP and other ischemic retinopathies.
| Footnotes |
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Submitted for publication May 29, 2001; revised August 28, 2001; accepted October 2, 2001.
Commercial relationships policy: N.
The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page
charge payment. This article must therefore be marked
"advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C.
1734
solely to indicate this fact.
Corresponding author: Steven Brooks, Eye Consultants of Augusta, 503 Furys Ferry Road, Martinez, GA 30907; sbrooks{at}gabn.net
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