Figure 7

Effect of intravitreal fasudil on GK rat outer retinal barrier permeability. Two hours after an intravenous injection of 150 KDa FITC-Dextran, WS rats and GK rats treated either with vehicle (GK-V) or with fasudil (GK-F) were sacrificed and the eyes sectioned. (A) In WS rats, FITC-dextran remains in the choroid vessels and do not cross the RPE. (B) In GK rats injected with vehicle (GK-V), similar to control GK rats (not show), FITC-Dextran cross the RPE and diffuses in the outer retina and in photoreceptor segments PS (arrows). (C) Fasudil treatment of GK rats (GK-F) restores the RPE barrier as shown by resolution of FITC-dextran leakage in the outer retina. (D) Quantification of total retinal leakage was performed by the measurement of neural retina corrected total fluorescence (CTF) (see materials and methods). A significant decrease in CTF consistent with decreased leakage was found for Fasudil treated GK rats (n = 5 per experiment); **p value < 0, 01; Scale bar = 10 µm INL = Inner Nuclear Layer; GCL = Ganglion Cell Layer, ONL = Outer retinal Layer, PS = Photoreceptor Segments.