Abstract
Vessels in the mammalian retina are surrounded by astrocytes and Müller cells forming the glial limitans. The spatial correlation between astrocytes and blood vessel in the inner retina has been largely recognized and the functional implication of astrocytes in vessel permeability has been suggested.
In the senile retinas examined by electron microscopy, arteries and veins exhibited loss of smooth muscle cells, while the endothelium was still intact. By confocal laser scan fluorescence microscopy, the corresponding deficiencies in smooth muscle α-actin staining were spotty or extended over longer segments of the vascular wall. Vessel damage was associated with an atrophy of the glia limitans, visualized by confocal microscopy as weak staining for GFAP and, by electron microscopy, as exfoliation and degeneration of the glial sheath. Chronic hypoxia might represent one possible aggravating factor in the development of the disease.
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© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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Rungger-Brändle, E., Leuenberger, P.M. (1997). Senile Retinal Deficiencies in Astrocytes and Blood Vessels. In: LaVail, M.M., Hollyfield, J.G., Anderson, R.E. (eds) Degenerative Retinal Diseases. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5933-7_44
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5933-7_44
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