Experimental eye research最新文献

{"title":"Interactions of choroid and sclera in the myopia model of the chicken","authors":"Ute Mathis ,&nbsp;Gustav Christensen ,&nbsp;Marita Feldkaemper ,&nbsp;Falk Schroedl ,&nbsp;Alexandra Kaser-Eichberger ,&nbsp;Frank Schaeffel","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110904","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110904","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>Changes in choroidal thickness are currently used to predict future refractive error development but there is incomplete knowledge about the communication between choroid and sclera. We studied how choroidal thickness changes interact with scleral thickness changes and how the abundance of dopamine (DA)- and all-trans retinoic acid (atRA)-synthetizing choroidal cells varies when choroidal thickness is altered by drugs.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Changes in choroidal thickness were induced by a single intravitreal injection in the morning of the muscarinic antagonist atropine, the DA agonist apomorphine or the DA antagonist spiperone. Thickness of the choroid and the scleral layers was measured by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Immunocytochemistry was used to study the distribution of dopamine-synthetizing structures in the choroid and their colocalisation with retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (RADLH2), the key synthetizing enzyme of atRA.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>(1) Both atropine and apomorphine increased choroidal thickness over the day while spiperone resulted in a decrease. (2) For apomorphine and spiperone, choroidal thickness changes were positively correlated with thickness changes in both the cartilaginous and fibrous layers of the sclera. With atropine, only the cartilaginous layer thickened. (3) DA was co-localized with RALDH2 in stromal cells in the choroid in a few cases but the numbers of double-stained cells increased massively after drug injections. (4) RALDH2-immunoreactivity (indicating atRA activity) increased, no matter whether the choroid and the sclera thickened or thinned.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Following drug injections, thickness changes of choroid and sclera were correlated and occurred without phase delay. Numbers of DA and RALDH2 co-expressing cells in the choroid increased. Choroidal dopaminergic cells that synthesize atRA appear to act as activators of scleral metabolic activity during both scleral growth stimulation and inhibition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 110904"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146131646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Response to letter to the editor, “Significant errors in the paper by Lee R et al.” Ax T. Exp Eye Res. 2025; 263: 110774","authors":"Ryung Lee ,&nbsp;Joshua Ong ,&nbsp;Alex Suh ,&nbsp;Mehmet Kadipasaoglu ,&nbsp;Thomas Mader ,&nbsp;Charles R. Gibson ,&nbsp;John Berdahl ,&nbsp;Andrew G. Lee ,&nbsp;SADES Study Group","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110857","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110857","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 110857"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146040756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Extracellular vesicle–mediated delivery of miR-181a-3p confers neuroprotection to degenerating retinal ganglion cells","authors":"Esmahan Durmaz ,&nbsp;Kubra Trabzonlu ,&nbsp;Maryam Esmaeili ,&nbsp;Hanady Nehme ,&nbsp;Lydia Alverez-Erviti ,&nbsp;Yasir Ahmed Syed ,&nbsp;Aled Clayton ,&nbsp;Ben Mead","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110882","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110882","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy marked by the irreversible degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), leading to vision loss. RGC injury is also central to other optic and neurodegenerative conditions, including traumatic optic neuropathy.</div></div><div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>We evaluated whether extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from retinal precursor cells could serve as an effective platform for the delivery of neuroprotective microRNAs (miRNAs), focusing on miR-181a-3p, to preserve RGC viability and function.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Based on prior profiling of miRNAs differentially expressed in injured RGCs, four candidate miRNAs were screened for neuroprotective effects in primary rat retinal cultures and human embryonic stem cell–derived RGCs. miR-181a-3p, which showed the strongest preservation of RGC survival, was selected for further study. EVs were isolated from R-28 retinal precursor cells, loaded with miR-181a-3p via electroporation, and characterized for particle size, charge, and loading efficiency. EV uptake and neuroprotective efficacy were evaluated <em>in vitro</em> by fluorescence imaging, qPCR, and Ca²⁺-activity assays, and <em>in vivo</em> by intravitreal injection of labelled EVs to assess retinal distribution and cellular uptake.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>EV-mediated delivery of miR-181a-3p enhanced RGC survival and preserved intracellular Ca²⁺ dynamics compared to free miRNA or lipofectamine-based transfection. EVs improved miRNA stability, enabled selective targeting of retinal cell types, and partially modulated the p38/MAPK signalling axis. EV loading also improved the delivery of miRNA to the retina <em>in vivo.</em></div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Our findings demonstrate that EVs offer a biocompatible, cell-specific, and functionally effective platform for miRNA delivery to the retina. EV-based administration of miR-181a-3p may represent a novel neuroprotective strategy for glaucoma and related optic neuropathies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 110882"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146040772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Methylome profiling reveals epigenetic alterations in the trabecular meshwork of primary open-angle glaucoma","authors":"Ke Liu ,&nbsp;Wang-yang Xu ,&nbsp;Ruiqing Fu ,&nbsp;Yiwen Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110892","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110892","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. While aberrant DNA methylation may contribute, a genome-wide profile in trabecular meshwork (TM) is lacking. This study performed reduced-representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) on TM samples from 42 POAG patients and 20 non-glaucomatous controls, identifying 8885 significant differentially methylated CpG sites (DMCs) and 3148 differentially methylated regions (DMRs), revealing a pronounced hypomethylation pattern in POAG. Hypomethylated genes were associated with ossification, collagen fibril organization, and the RhoA/ROCK signaling, whereas hypermethylated genes were enriched in androgen receptor signaling, the NABA core matrisome, and actin filament processes—collectively highlighting extracellular matrix (ECM) dysregulation as a central theme. Integrated methylome-transcriptome analysis identified four high-priority genes (<em>COL5A1</em>, <em>COL5A2</em>, <em>JAM3</em>, and <em>HTRA1</em>) among hypomethylated-upregulated candidates, implicating them in pathogenic ECM remodeling in POAG. This study presents the first RRBS-based methylome profile of POAG, revealing significant epigenetic alterations in pathways and genes related to TM dysfunction. These findings enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying POAG and may inform future therapeutic strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 110892"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146085174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Visual stimulation enhances retrograde transport of BDNF from the superior colliculus to the retina in health and autoimmune uveitis","authors":"Miloslav Zloh ,&nbsp;Patrik Kutilek ,&nbsp;Andrea Stofkova","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110906","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110906","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) shows degeneration of retinal neurons, including retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), already in its early phase. Based on our previous study demonstrating the attenuation of EAU by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), whose retinal levels were increased by visual stimulation (VS), this study evaluated the effect of VS on BDNF protein expression in brain visual centers, its retrograde transport to the retina, and RGC survival in healthy and EAU mice. 14-day VS increased BDNF expression in the superior colliculus (SC) but not in the lateral geniculate nucleus and primary visual cortex in healthy and EAU mice compared to their unstimulated groups. Furthermore, VS increased numbers of BDNF-positive neurons and astrocytes in the retinorecipient superficial SC (sSC) in healthy and EAU mice, although stimulated EAU mice showed a modest reduction in BDNF-positive neurons compared to stimulated healthy mice. In contrast, unstimulated EAU mice exhibited a marked loss of sSC BDNF-positive neurons and astrocytes compared to unstimulated healthy mice. Additionally, VS promoted retrograde axonal transport of fluorescently labeled BDNF from the sSC to the retina, where it was detected in RGCs, inner retinal neurons, and Müller cells (MCs). These results suggest that VS-induced increases in BDNF expression in the sSC and its retrograde transport to the retina may directly affect multiple types of retinal neurons and MCs, on which BDNF can exert neurotrophic and protective effects. The overall attenuation of EAU histopathology and retinal inflammation, along with improved survival of RGCs in VS-treated EAU mice, is consistent with this suggestion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 110906"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146124278","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Topical insulin for corneal wound healing: Interpreting stromal remodeling endpoints","authors":"Henry Bair","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110902","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110902","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 110902"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146124329","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Duplex droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) improves the diagnosis of Aspergillus and Fusarium keratitis","authors":"Yamini Tawde ,&nbsp;Sourav Das ,&nbsp;Shreya Singh ,&nbsp;Soham Basak ,&nbsp;Savitri Sharma ,&nbsp;Amit Gupta ,&nbsp;Amanjit Bal ,&nbsp;Shivaprakash M. Rudramurthy ,&nbsp;Geetika Yadav ,&nbsp;Anup Ghosh","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110866","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110866","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fungal keratitis (FK) is a serious corneal infection leading to blindness. The present study aims to develop a duplex ddPCR for the detection of <em>Aspergillus</em> sp. and <em>Fusarium</em> sp. causing FK and also to enhance the diagnostic accuracy by evaluating the sensitivity of ddPCR in comparison to qPCR. This Prospective, multicentric study was conducted from November 2019 to August 2021, including three healthcare facilities across India. All patients suspected with FK were included in the study. A part of the collected corneal samples was used for routine microbiological workup and another part of the sample was used for the standardization and validation of ddPCR. A total of 42 corneal buttons were used for standardisation. <em>Aspergillus</em> primer concentration of 750nM showed highest sensitivity of 81.48 % with 93.33 % specificity at ct-value 14.05 while 900 nM primer concentration was best for <em>Fusarium</em> with 80 % sensitivity and 96.3 % specificity at ct-value 83.65. Probe concentrations for both <em>Aspergillus</em> and <em>Fusarium</em> were 250 mM. Validation cohort included 74 corneal samples, <em>Aspergillus</em> ddPCR demonstrated 84.21 % sensitivity with 94.64 % specificity while <em>Fusarium</em> ddPCR had 75 % sensitivity with a specificity of 96.3 %. The comparative analysis demonstrated an improvement in diagnostic performance by ddPCR for both <em>Aspergillus</em> and <em>Fusarium</em> compared to recently reported genus-specific real-time PCR. The ddPCR noticeably enhanced the diagnostic performance for both <em>Aspergillus</em> and <em>Fusarium</em> FK in comparison to the genus-specific real-time PCR. Thus, ddPCR can serve as a rapid technique holding a challenge over conventional and qPCR for FK diagnosis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 110866"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146003290","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prime editing for ocular gene therapy and disease modeling: a narrative review of advances, delivery, and translational readiness","authors":"Qing Zhang ,&nbsp;Yanhui Yang ,&nbsp;Xionggao Huang ,&nbsp;Junkai Ma ,&nbsp;Yajian Duan ,&nbsp;Gaoen Ma ,&nbsp;Hetian Lei","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110891","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110891","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Prime editing is a versatile “search-and-replace” genome-editing technology that enables precise and flexible genome correction of genetic sequences by reverse-transcribing an RNA template encoded at the 3′ end of a prime editing guide RNA (pegRNA). It supports the introduction of nucleotide substitutions, and insertions or/and deletions (indels) in living cells without requiring double-stranded DNA breaks or exogenous donor templates. Since its introduction in 2019, prime editing has advanced rapidly-from the first-generation prime editor (PE1) to PE7 and other next-generation variants-with editing efficiencies increasing from 0.7 to 5.5 % to more than 50 % in vitro. Optimization strategies including engineering of the Cas9 and reverse transcriptase domains, refinement of pegRNA architecture, recruitment of auxiliary proteins, and modulation of DNA repair pathways have substantially enhanced editing efficiency, product purity, and target scope across diverse cell types and tissues. These developments are particularly relevant to ophthalmology, where many blinding disorders arise from point mutations or small indels ideally suited for prime editing-based correction. Recent work in retinal cells and animal models has demonstrated the growing feasibility of prime editing to treat inherited retinal diseases, modulate pathological angiogenesis, and achieve precise gene repair in post-mitotic photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelial cells. As delivery vectors and newer PE variants improve, prime editing is a plausible next-generation platform for a wide range of ocular diseases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 110891"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075463","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Axial length prediction Model based on screening fundus photography data in school-age children","authors":"Zixun Wang ,&nbsp;Hua Rong ,&nbsp;Jingtao Yu ,&nbsp;Yifan Zhou ,&nbsp;Xueshuo Xie ,&nbsp;Weiping Lin ,&nbsp;Zhiqing Li ,&nbsp;Hua Yan ,&nbsp;Bei Du ,&nbsp;Ruihua Wei","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110893","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110893","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study developed deep learning (DL) models to predict axial length (AL) in 6–10-year-old schoolchildren using minimally abnormal color fundus photographs (CFPs), while evaluating the impact of integrating age, Diopter Sphere (DS), and sex. Following quality assessment of 5460 initial CFPs from 3840 children, 3840 images from 2779 children were utilized and partitioned into training (70 %), validation (20 %), and test (10 %) sets. ResNet101 served as the core architecture, with supplemental clinical parameters integrated into the fully connected layer for continuous AL prediction. Model interpretation employed Grad-CAM-generated heatmaps. Comparative analysis demonstrated that DS and age achieved moderate predictive accuracy (R² = 0.37), a CFP-only model showed significantly stronger performance (R² = 0.70), and combining CFPs with DS and age further improved accuracy (R² = 0.75). However, incorporating sex alongside CFPs, DS, and age substantially reduced efficacy (R² = 0.41). Heatmaps revealed that regions critical for AL predictions anatomically corresponded to retinal vasculature and immediate perivascular tissues. These findings collectively indicate that DL may leverage near-normal CFPs for pediatric AL prediction, with selective enhancement by age and DS, but degradation when categorical variables (such as sex) are included. Subtle changes in the fundus vasculature may help DL to identify the cause of CFP changes with AL.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 110893"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146085108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Resveratrol alleviated diabetic retinal neuronal ferroptosis induced by high glucose through inhibiting HIF-1α and HMOX1 pathway","authors":"Meng Ye ,&nbsp;Yan Jiang ,&nbsp;Hongya Gong ,&nbsp;Chaowu Wu ,&nbsp;Tao Li ,&nbsp;Xuhui Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110872","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2026.110872","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common complication of diabetes mellitus that can cause blindness and affect the life quality of patients. Diabetic retinal neurodegeneration (DRN) caused by high glucose might be the earlier pathological change preceding vascular injury. Resveratrol has been showed to have therapeutic effects on DRN but the mechanism remains unclear. Ferroptosis is a new form of regulated cell death and has been found to be involved in DRN. In this study, we found genetic relationship between resveratrol and ferroptosis in DRN pathogenesis using bioinformatics analysis and demonstrated HIF-1α and HMOX1 as the hub genes. Our study established <em>in vitro</em> model of DRN in high-glucose cultured SH-SY5Y cells and found ferroptosis processes characterized of reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and cellular mitochondrial damage along with upregulation of HIF-1α and HMOX1. Application of resveratrol alleviated high glucose-induced ferroptosis phenotypes in SH-SY5Y cells through inhibiting HIF-1α and HMOX1. We also confirmed ferroptosis process and RGC damage in diabetic (db/db) mouse model. The upregulation of HIF-1α and HMOX1 was also found in diabetic mouse retina. By resveratrol gavage, RGC damage in diabetic (db/db) mouse model was alleviated and the expression level of HIF-1α and HMOX1 in retina was decreased. Our study revealed the involvement of ferroptosis process in retinal neurodegeneration and might provide new insights into neuroprotective interventions in diabetic retinopathy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 110872"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146003456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}