Microvascular Network and Its Endothelial Cells in the Human Iris

The ocular anterior segment examination of perinatal newborns by wide-field digital imaging system: a cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to evaluate and summarize the developmental rules of the ocular anterior segment of neonates by means of wild-field digital imaging system.

METHODS

We used the wide-field digital imaging system to sequentially capture images of the neonates' eyes within 42 days after delivery, including the ocular surface, anterior segment, and fundus. At the same time, basic information at the time of birth and examination was collected.

RESULTS

Among 248 newborns, 51.21% were male. Abnormalities of the anterior segment such as visualization of anterior chamber angle vessels (79.03%) and iris vessels (51.21%), iris process (42.34%), persistent pupillary membranes (19.35%), albinism, congenital cataracts, corneal leucoma, and subconjunctival hemorrhage were observed in this study. There were significant differences in the appearance of iris vessels among different sex, gestational age and birth weight, postmenstrual age and weight at the time of examination and iris color groups. The iris vessels were more visualized in males relative to females (OR = 6.313, 95% CI 2.529-15.759). The greater the postmenstrual age at the time of examination, the lower the visualization of iris vessels (OR = 0.377, 95% CI 0.247-0.575). In addition, although visualization of anterior chamber angle vessels differed within the birth gestation age and weight at examination groups, there was no significant correlation by regression analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

The anterior segment of perinatal neonates can be visualized by the wide-field digital imaging system. The neonatal iris and anterior chamber angle are immature, and the visible vessels at the anterior chamber angle that vanish later than the surface of the iris are characteristic structures.

The mounted alloimmunity of the iris-ciliary body devotes a hotbed of immune cells for corneal transplantation rejection

Graft rejection is still the major obstacle causing corneal transplantation failure. However, the underlying pathogenesis remains largely unclear. The iris-ciliary body (I-C) is enriched with blood vessels and various immune cell populations, presumably predisposed to be involved in corneal transplantation rejection. After penetrating keratoplasty, compared to the normal (Nor) and syngeneic (Syn) groups, I-C tissues in the allogeneic (Allo) group displayed stronger alloimmune responses, with more infiltrations of CD45⁺ inflammatory cells and CD3⁺ lymphocytes, increased transcriptional levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and elevated NF-κB activity. This histopathology was similar to the pathological alterations of corneal allografts. Angiography analysis revealed the abnormal vasculature in the iris during allograft rejection, characterized by vasodilatation, increased vessel density, and vascular permeability. While, immunofluorescence staining showed the intact tight junction of the posterior iris epithelium. In vitro, human microvascular endothelial cells (HMECs) stimulated by tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) showed an increased Evans blue (EB)-albumin leakage, with lower expression of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and Occludin. The increased EB-albumin leakage, up-regulated NF-κB activity, and reduced expression of ZO-1 and Occludin could be partially reversed after cyclosporine A (CsA) administration. In contrast, the barrier function in primary mouse iris pigment epithelial cells (IPEs) after TNF-α treatment remained largely unchanged. These findings revealed the vigorous alloimmunity in I-C tissues, characterized with impaired vascularization but intact posterior epithelial barrier in the iris, which allowed proteins and immune cells to be exudated from the front surface of I-C tissues, and facilitated immune reaction in the anterior chamber, thereby contributing to aggravated corneal transplantation rejection.

Quantitative analysis and clinical application of iris circulation in ischemic retinal disease

BACKGROUND

To evaluate quantitative changes in iris blood circulation in patients with ischemic risk.

METHODS

This observational case-control study included 79 patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). The RVO group included 21 patients; the monocular proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) group included 19 patients; the nondiabetic retinopathy (NDR) group included 18 patients; and the healthy control group included 21 healthy controls. In the RVO group, we analyzed RVO affected eyes, RVO contralateral eyes, and healthy control eyes. We also compared eyes with PDR and contralateral eyes without PDR, patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) without DR, and healthy control eyes. The microvascular networks of the iris and retina were analyzed using optical coherence tomography angiography. The analysis included vessel area density (VAD) and vessel skeleton density (VSD) of iris and retina.

RESULTS

In the RVO group, the VAD and VSD of iris in the affected eye were higher than those in contralateral and healthy control eyes, and the VAD and VSD of contralateral eyes were higher than those of healthy control eyes. The retinal blood flow of the RVO eyes was less than that of the contralateral and healthy control eyes, but there were no difference between the contralateral eyes and healthy control eyes. The VAD and VSD of iris in PDR were larger than nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and the NPDR were larger than NDR. There were no differences between NDR and healthy control eyes. Also, there were no differences among the four groups with respect to retinal blood flow.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with the retina, iris blood circulation quantitative analysis data seem to be more sensitive to ischemia and may be used as a new predictor of ischemic disease, even if further research is needed to better understand the clinical value and importance of this analysis.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The trial is registered with the clinical trial registration number nct03631108 .

Gaining insight on mitigation of rubeosis iridis by UPARANT in a mouse model associated with proliferative retinopathy

Proliferative retinopathies (PR) lead to an increase in neovascularization and inflammation factors, at times culminating in pathologic rubeosis iridis (RI). In mice, uveal puncture combined with injection of hypoxia-conditioned media mimics RI associated with proliferative retinopathies. Here, we investigated the effects of the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) antagonist-UPARANT-on the angiogenic and inflammatory processes that are dysregulated in this model. In addition, the effects of UPARANT were compared with those of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapies. Administration of UPARANT promptly decreased iris vasculature, while anti-VEGF effects were slower and less pronounced. Immunoblot and qPCR analysis suggested that UPARANT acts predominantly by reducing the upregulated inflammatory and extracellular matrix degradation responses. UPARANT appears to be more effective in comparison to anti-VEGF in the treatment of RI associated with PR in the murine model, by modulating multiple uPAR-associated signaling pathways. Furthermore, UPARANT effectiveness was maintained when systemically administered, which could open to novel improved therapies for proliferative ocular diseases, particularly those associated with PR. KEY MESSAGES: • Further evidence of UPARANT effectiveness in normalizing pathological iris neovascularization. • Both systemic and local administration of UPARANT reduce iris neovascularization in a model associated with proliferative retinopathies. • In the mouse models of rubeosis iridis associated with proliferative retinopathy, UPARANT displays stronger effects when compared with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor regimen.

Iris and its relevance to angle closure disease: a review

Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible visual impairment, and primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) affects Asians disproportionately. Whereas advances in ocular imaging have identified several anatomical risk factors, our ability to predict PACG still requires considerable improvement. The iris plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of angle closure disease, either through a mechanical or vascular mechanism. Irises of closed-angle eyes inhibit vastly different structural constituents as compared with those of open-angle eyes, thereby effecting variations in biomechanical properties and iris fluid conductivity. The clinical consequences include a smaller change in iris volume on pupil dilation in closed-angle eyes, thereby bringing the iris and trabecular meshwork closer in apposition. In this review, we summarise the potential role of the iris in the pathogenesis of angle closure disease.

Endothelial tight junctions and their regulatory signaling pathways in vascular homeostasis and disease

Endothelial tight junctions (TJs) regulate the transport of water, ions, and molecules through the paracellular pathway, serving as an important barrier in blood vessels and maintaining vascular homeostasis. In endothelial cells (ECs), TJs are highly dynamic structures that respond to multiple external stimuli and pathological conditions. Alterations in the expression, distribution, and structure of endothelial TJs may lead to many related vascular diseases and pathologies. In this review, we provide an overview of the assessment methods used to evaluate endothelial TJ barrier function both in vitro and in vivo and describe the composition of endothelial TJs in diverse vascular systems and ECs. More importantly, the direct phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of TJ proteins by intracellular kinases and phosphatases, as well as the signaling pathways involved in the regulation of TJs, including and the protein kinase C (PKC), PKA, PKG, Ras homolog gene family member A (RhoA), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt, and Wnt/β-catenin pathways, are discussed. With great advances in this area, targeting endothelial TJs may provide novel treatment for TJ-related vascular pathologies.