Scanning Electron Microscopic Observations on Differentiation and Maintenance of Photoreceptor Cells in Vitro

Scanning electron microscopy was performed on cell cultures of embryonic and post-hatch chick retinas co-cultured with optic lobe neurons or in medium that had been pre-conditioned with optic lobe cells. The culture medium consisted of Eagles Basal Medium supplemented with glucose, fetal calf serum, glutamine and bicarbonate. Application of colchicine (Sμg/ml) to the cultures, encouraged the dissociation of retinal cell rosettes and optic lobe neuron aggregates, thereby allowing us to examine differentiation of isolated photoreceptor cells. Over time, developing photoreceptor cells gradually took on the morphological characteristics of rods and cones in the post-hatch chick: cells were polarized having a single neurite on one end of the cell and inner and outer segment-like structures on the other end. Developing cone cells elaborated an oil droplet and filopodial-like processes at the apical end of the inner segment. The latter may correspond to the calycal processes which normally envelop the basal 1/3 of the outer segment. The sequence of events noted in vitro parallel those previously reported in vivo

Zinc Nutrition and Inflammation in the Aging Retina

Zinc is an essential nutrient for human health. It plays key roles in maintaining protein structure and stability, serves as catalytic factor for many enzymes, and regulates diverse fundamental cellular processes. Zinc is important in affecting signal transduction and, in particular, in the development and integrity of the immune system, where it affects both innate and adaptive immune responses. The eye, especially the retina‐choroid complex, has an unusually high concentration of zinc compared to other tissues. The highest amount of zinc is concentrated in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) (RPE‐choroid, 292 ± 98.5 µg g−1 dry tissue), followed by the retina (123 ± 62.2 µg g−1 dry tissue). The interplay between zinc and inflammation has been explored in other parts of the body but, so far, has not been extensively researched in the eye. Several lines of evidence suggest that ocular zinc concentration decreases with age, especially in the context of age‐related disease. Thus, a hypothesis that retinal function could be modulated by zinc nutrition is proposed, and subsequently trialled clinically. In this review, the distribution and the potential role of zinc in the retina‐choroid complex is outlined, especially in relation to inflammation and immunity, and the clinical studies to date are summarized