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A more recent version of this article appeared on June 1, 2008
 (Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. )
© 2008 by The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.
DOI:  10.1167/iovs.07-1196
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Article

Morphometric Analysis of Lipoprotein-like Particle Accumulation in Aging Human Macular Bruch's Membrane

Jiahn-Dar Huang 1, Christine A. Curcio 2, and Mark Johnson 1*

1 Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States
2 Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, United States

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: m-johnson2{at}northwestern.edu.


  Abstract

Abstract PURPOSE. To determine the size and regional distribution of lipoprotein-like particles (LLPs) that accumulate with age in Bruch's membrane (BrM). METHODS. The quick-freeze/deep-etch method was used to prepare specimens of human BrM (ages 27-78) for electron microscopic examination. We used stereologic methods to analyze the resulting micrographs and determine the age-related changes of the LLP volume fraction and diameter distribution in various locations in BrM. RESULTS. The volume fraction occupied by LLPs was found to increase monotonically with age in both the inner collageneous layer (ICL) and elastic layer (EL) but not in the outer collageneous layer (OCL). The mass of total LLP-associated lipids in BrM also increased with age. There was no significant increase in LLP size with age, but there was a modest increase in LLP size with increased volume fraction of LLPs in BrM CONCLUSIONS. The pattern of accumulation of particles was consistent with a retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) source for the LLPs. This would explain why once the EL and ICL were filled with particles, LLPs continued to accumulate near the RPE but no further accumulation was found in the OCL. The quantity of LLP-associated lipids found in BrM accounts for a large portion of the accumulated lipids measured in this tissue.

Key Words: age-related macular degeneration, morphometry, age-related maculopathy, lipids




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[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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