This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Cell migration and proliferation may be key components of macular hole development
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2011;52(11):7822-7834
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Cellular proliferation at the internal limiting membrane may be present in all idiopathic macular holes irrespective of disease stage, suggesting involvement of cell migration and proliferation during hole development, a study found.
Furthermore, glial cells and hyalocytes may play the predominant role in this proliferation.
Two consecutive series of surgically excised, whole-mounted internal limiting membrane specimens from 60 eyes underwent interference and phase-contrast microscopy, immunocytochemistry, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy.
Cell density showed broad variety, with simultaneous expression of GFAP/CD45, GFAP/CD64, GFAP/CD68, GFAP/CRALBP and GFAP/CD90. Some cells showed intracellular contractile filaments, while others were not immunoreactive to any antibodies examined. The percentage of viable cells also ranged, with a mean of 73%.
Because of the co-expression of glial cell and hyalocyte markers, transdifferentiation of epiretinal cells requires further clarification, the study authors said. Expression of the intermediate filament GFAP in particular needs to be reconsidered, because GFAP-positive immunostaining alone does not definitively establish if cells are of retinal glial origin, they added.
The authors said that flat-mount preparation, which enables visualization of the whole internal limiting membrane specimen, allowed this analysis to provide new details on cell density and distribution in macular holes.