Журнал клинической и экспериментальной офтальмологии
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ISSN: 2155-9570
ISSN: 2155-9570
Sara Moghaddam-Taaheri, Monica Agarwal, Juan Amaral, Irina Fedorova, Elvira Agrón, Norman Salem Jr., Emily Chew and S. Patricia Becerra
Background: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a major omega-3- polyunsaturated fatty acid (ω-3-PUFAs), in the development of experimental choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in rodents.
Methods: Experimental second generation Long Evans rats fed with diets of varying ω-3-PUFA content designed to produce significantly different retinal DHA levels were used in our studies. A transgenic mouse model (fat-1) engineered to over-produce DHA was also studied. CNV was induced by rupture of Bruch\'s membrane using laser photocoagulation. At 7 days after induction, animals were euthanatized, and eyes were collected. RPE/choroid flatmounts were labeled with isolectin IB4 to determine CNV lesion volumes using confocal microscopy and high-performance 3D imaging software.
Results: The median of CNV complex volumes of animals with DHA-adequate diets was lower by 63% relative to that of animals with DHA-deficient diets. The median of CNV complex volumes in fat-1 transgenic mice was decreased by 59% relative to that of wild type controls.
Conclusions: Dietary intake or genetic manipulation to increase the sources of DHA significantly diminished the volume of induced CNV lesions in rodents. They suggest that consumption of ω-3-PUFAs may serve to prevent CNV.