PURPOSE: To evaluate whether systemically injected bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be incorporated into neuroretinal tissues and play an important role in retinal wound healing in the laser-induced retinal trauma model. METHODS: Retinotomies were made by applying an Nd:YAG laser to rat retina. On the first day after the injuries, cell suspensions that were obtained from the same line of rat (containing 1 x 10(6) green fluorescence protein [GFP]-marked bone marrow-derived MSCs) were injected through a tail vein in the experimental group and phosphate buffer solution (PBS) was injected in the same way in the control group. Fundus photographs were taken serially for fundus examination and eyeballs were enucleated for histological studies that were conducted at five and seven weeks after MSC and PBS injection. After the tissues were prepared, the retinotomy sites were observed with routine histological staining and confocal microscopy. RESULTS: Retinal detachment resolved in the experimental group, whereas it progressed in the control group. The retinotomy sites closed partially with identifiable GFP positive cells 5 weeks after MSC injection. At 7 weeks after MSC injection, complete healing without retinal detachment and plentiful GFP positive cells were observed at the transitional zone between damaged and normal retina. CONCLUSIONS: Systemically administered GFP-marked MSCs may be incorporated into the neuroretinal tissues and play an important role in the wound modulation of physically damaged retinal tissues.
Animals ; *Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Disease Models, Animal ; Eye Injuries/pathology/*surgery ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation/*methods ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Prognosis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Retina/injuries/pathology/*surgery ; *Wound Healing

A 37-year-old female, who had received modified radical mastectomy for cancer of her right breast, presented with decreased visual acuity in the left eye after radiation therapy for the management of the metastasis to her right brain 14 months ago. After ocular examination, we diagnosed her as radiation retinopathy. At the time of the first visit, the corrected best visual acuity was 0.4 in the left eye, and fundus examination revealed cotton wool spots and cystoid macular edema (CME). The findings in the right eye were normal except for cotton wool spots in the superior major arch. Fluorescein angiography (FA) showed marked telangiectasia and microaneurysms in her left eye but tiny microaneurysms in her right eye. Subsequent optical coherent tomography (OCT) showed CME. We injected intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (TA). Two weeks after treatment, the visual acuity was improved to 0.6 and the retinal thickness was decreased. Three months later, the visual acuity in the left eye was dropped to 0.3 due to the recurrence of CME, so we injected intravitreal TA again. Five months later, visual acuity was improved to 0.5 and OCT revealed the improvement of CME. The incidence of radiation retinopathy is higher in the side nearer to radiation, but careful radiation blocking is also required on the opposite side of irradiation site considering the possibility of radiation retinopathy and careful observation is required on both sides of the eyes when performing fundus examination.
Adult ; Brain Neoplasms/*radiotherapy/secondary ; Breast Neoplasms/pathology/radiotherapy/surgery ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fundus Oculi ; Glucocorticoids/administration & dosage ; Humans ; Radiation Injuries/diagnosis/drug therapy/*etiology ; Retina/pathology/*radiation effects ; Retinal Diseases/diagnosis/drug therapy/*etiology ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Triamcinolone Acetonide/administration & dosage