Systemic ocular antigen immunization leads only to a minor secondary immune response

• Neither CD3+ nor CD45R+ cells were involved in the retinal degeneration at day 14.
• Systemically leukocytes react to the adjuvants and not to the antigens at 14 days.
• Ganglion cell degeneration is followed by an increase of splenic macrophages.

The immunization with optic nerve homogenate antigen (ONA) or S100 induced retinal degeneration. Since many neurological diseases are reinforced or initiated by immune cells, leucocytes were analyzed. CD3+ T-cells in the retina increased slightly in ONA rats, but not in S100 treated retinas. No CD45R+ B-cells and granulocytes could be detected in the retinas. At early stages, CD3+ cells, Iba1+ macrophages and granulocytes of the secondary lymphoid organs were not affected. Yet, the sole injection of pertussis toxin led to a shift to fewer CD45R+ cells and more granulocytes in spleens. Later, splenic Iba1+ macrophages were increased in both groups. We conclude that the retinal infiltration of lymphocytes is not crucial for the degeneration process and rather an epiphenomenon.

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