Version 1
: Received: 30 December 2019 / Approved: 2 January 2020 / Online: 2 January 2020 (04:33:47 CET)
Version 2
: Received: 26 February 2020 / Approved: 29 February 2020 / Online: 29 February 2020 (11:17:52 CET)
How to cite:
Kovács-Öller, T.; Ivanova, E.; Szarka, G.; Tengölics, Á.J.; Völgyi, B.; Sagdullaev, B.T. Imatinib Sets Pericyte Mosaic in the Retina. Preprints2020, 2020010009. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202001.0009.v1
Kovács-Öller, T.; Ivanova, E.; Szarka, G.; Tengölics, Á.J.; Völgyi, B.; Sagdullaev, B.T. Imatinib Sets Pericyte Mosaic in the Retina. Preprints 2020, 2020010009. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202001.0009.v1
Kovács-Öller, T., Ivanova, E., Szarka, G., Tengölics, Á.J., Völgyi, B., & Sagdullaev, B.T. (2020). Imatinib Sets Pericyte Mosaic in the Retina. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202001.0009.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Kovács-Öller, T., Béla Völgyi and Botir T Sagdullaev. 2020 "Imatinib Sets Pericyte Mosaic in the Retina" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202001.0009.v1
Abstract
The nervous system demands an adequate oxygen and metabolite exchange, making pericytes (PCs), the only vasoactive cells on the capillaries, essential to neural function. Loss of PCs is a hallmark of multiple diseases, including diabetes, Alzheimer’s, ALS and Parkinson’s. Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptors (PDGFRs) have been shown to be critical to the PC function and survival. However, how PDGFR-mediated PC activity affects vascular homeostasis is not fully understood. Here, we tested the hypothesis that Imatinib, a chemotherapeutic agent and a potent PDGFR inhibitor, alters the PC distribution and thus induces vascular atrophy. We performed a morphometric analysis of the vascular elements in sham control and Imatinib-treated NG2-DsRed mice. Vascular morphology and the integrity of the blood-retina barrier (BRB) were evaluated using blood albumin labeling. We found that Imatinib decreased the number of PCs and blood vessel (BV) coverage in all retinal vascular layers, this was accompanied by a shrinkage of BV diameters. Surprisingly, the total length of capillaries was not altered, suggesting a preferential effect of Imatinib on PCs. Furthermore, the blood-retina barrier disruption was not evident. In conclusion, our data suggests that Imatinib could help in treating neurovascular diseases and serve as a model for pericyte loss, without BRB disruption.
Biology and Life Sciences, Neuroscience and Neurology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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