Abstracts (complete list) - Wissenschaft Online

Stephanie Joachim, Martin Wax, Daniela Kraft, Norbert Pfeiffer, Franz Grus
Neurodegeneration of the optic nerve and changes in
antibody profiles after immunization with heat shock protein
27
In previous studies complex antibody profiles against retinal antigens were found in
patients with glaucoma. Antibodies against heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) have been
identified in these studies in sera of glaucoma patients. The aim of this study was to
analyze, if immunization with HSP27 can cause retinal ganglion cell loss in rats similar
to the loss found in glaucoma patients.
Lewis rats were immunized with 100 mg HSP27 (plus Freund’s adjuvant and pertussis
toxin) and divided into three groups: group 1 was euthanized after 4 weeks (n=6),
group 2 after 5 weeks (n=6), and group 3 after 6 weeks (n=9). Control animals that
received no immunization were euthanized after 6 weeks (n=10, group 4). Intraocular
pressure was measured during the course of the study and blood was collected at
several time points. Serum was used to detect IgG antibody patterns against retina via
Western blotting and Protein G bead techniques. The antibody patterns were analyzed
by multivariate statistical techniques. Eyes were harvested the day the animals were
euthanized and were fixed and flatmounts were stained with Brn-3a, which detects the
retinal ganglion cell (RGC) nuclei. We used a computer assisted quantitation of RGC
density.
No significant changes in intraocular pressure were observed during the course of the
study. The animals immunized with HSP27 showed a lower number of RGCs in
comparison to controls (P