Establishment and Evaluation of a Rat Model Integrating Spleen Deficiency Syn-drome and wet Age-related Macular Degeneration Pathology
OBJECTIVE To establish and evaluate a rat model of spleen deficiency syndrome combined with wet age-related macular degeneration(wAMD)using intragastric administration of rhubarb decoction combined with retinal photocoagulation.METHODS A total of 24 10-week-old BN rats were randomly divided into control group(CG),photocoagulation group(PG),and rhubarb combined with photocoagulation group(RPG),with eight rats in each group.Rats in RPG group were intragastrically administered rhubarb decoction twice daily at a dose of 10 mL/kg and underwent retinal krypton laser photocoagulation to induce choroidal neovascularization(CNV)in the right eye.The PG group received krypton laser photocoagulation and intragastric administration of an equivalent dose of distilled water.The CG group received intragastric administration of distilled water only.The interventions were administered continuously for 10 days.The general condition and behavioral changes of the rats were recorded.Fundus photography,fundus fluorescein angiography(FFA),and optical coherence tomography(OCT)were performed on live rats at seven and 14 days after photocoagulation to observe CNV lesions.After 14 days,the rats were sacrificed,and the spleen and thymus indices were calculated.Serum D-xylose expression was detected using the resorcinol method,and serum α-amylase activity was measured.The complex of the retinal pigment epithelium(RPE)layer,choroid,and sclera was isolated from the rat eyeballs,and CNV lesions were observed using AF488-conjugated isolectin B4.Hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining was performed to observe retinal morphology.RESULTS(1)General condition and behavior:The RPG group showed a continuous decline in scores for fur color,limb muscles,movement,and mental status,with lower body weight and body temperature than PG group(tweight=6.014,P=0.000;ttemperature=3.125,P=0.005),and the differences were statistically significant.(2)Spleen and thymus indices:There was no statistically significant difference in thymus and spleen indices among the three groups(P>0.05).(3)Serum D-xylose and α-amylase:Serum D-xylose levels in the PG and RPG groups were lower than those in the CG group(tPG=11.270,tRPG=17.990,both P=0.000),and the RPG group was lower than the PG group(t= 6.720,P=0.000),with statistically significant differences.There was no statistically significant difference in serum α-amylase among the three groups(P>0.05).(4)Fundus CNV:The CNV exudation area of rats in the RPG group at seven and 14 days was higher than that in the PG group(t7 d=2.217,t14 d=2.210,both P=0.032),and the grayscale value was higher than that in the PG group(t7 d=3.448,P=0.001;t14 d=2.215,P=0.032),with statistically significant differences.(5)Retinal structural morphology:Rats in CG group showed a complete and clear retinal structure,while those in PG and RPG groups showed retinal structure damage with bleeding,edema,and neovascularization,with more significant changes in RPG group than in PG group.(6)Retinal lesion area:The average lesion area in RPG group was higher than that in PG group,with statistically significant differences(t=4.645,P=0.000).CONCLUSIONS Intragastric administration of rhubarb decoction combined with retinal laser photocoagulation can successfully establish a rat model of spleen deficiency syndrome combined with wAMD.
spleen deficiency syndromewet age-related macular degenerationchoroidal neovascularizationcombination of disease and syndromeanimal model
NETL
NSTL
万方数据
维普
