title: Effect of short-term macrophage depletion in the development of posterior capsule opacification in rodents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the role of macrophages in the development of posterior capsule opacification (PCO).
  
  
  METHODS
  For this purpose, an extracapsular lens extraction was performed in 18 consecutive Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were treated with liposomal clodronate (Cl(2)MDP-lip-treated group, n = 10) or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) (control group, n = 8) 1 day preoperatively and on the first day postoperatively, and sacrificed 3 days postoperatively. Masked clinical, light microscopy and immunohistochemistry studies were conducted. The Fisher exact test and randomisation test were used to assess statistically differences between groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A statistically significant reduction in the number of macrophages (ED1+, ED7+, ED8+) was found in the Cl(2)MDP-lip-treated group compared with the PBS-lip-treated group (p = 0.048, p = 0.004, p = 0.027, respectively). There were no statistically significant differences with regards to the presence/absence of central opacification (p = 0.29) and capsular wrinkling (p = 0.21) as detected clinically between groups. Similarly, a qualitative evaluation of the degree of PCO with regards to lens epithelial cell (LEC) proliferation, capsular wrinkling and Soemmerring ring formation showed no statistically significance between groups (p = 0.27, p = 0.061, p = 1.0, respectively). However, a statistically significant reduction in the number of lens epithelial cells (LEC) counted in the centre of the posterior capsule was found in the Cl(2)MDP-lip-treated group (p = 0.009).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Depletion of macrophages was accompanied by a reduction in LEC in the centre of the posterior capsule in rodents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, UK. noemilois@aol.com
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lois
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Townend
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: McKinnon
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van't Hof
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Van Rooijen
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Forrester
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002386:Cataract / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D004002:Clodronic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D007903:Lens Capsule, Crystalline / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D008081:Liposomes; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D008081:Liposomes; D004002:Clodronic Acid; D012965:Sodium Chloride