Embryonic retinal grafts have a beneficial effect on the damaged host retina.
The adult rat retina was evaluated following surgical lesion and after transplantation of embryonic day 15 (E15) retinal tissue. While a surgical incision caused degeneration and ganglion cell death peripheral to lesion site, the addition of an embryonic retinal implant to the lesion site resulted in a reduction of this degenerative response. In addition, the embryonic graft also exerted a stimulatory effect in the central direction from the lesion site, as increases in layer thicknesses were seen. We speculate that putative diffusable factor(s) may mediate these effects.
Laedtke
T W
TW
Department of Anatomy, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27103.
Turner
J E
JE
D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D008297:Male; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation*
D009414:Nerve Growth Factors