Effect of fenofibrate on retinal neurodegeneration in an experimental model of type 2 diabetes.

There is now consistent evidence from two major clinical trials (the Fenofibrate Intervention and Event Lowering in Diabetes and the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes Eye) that fenofibrate arrests the progression of diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetic patients. However, the underlying mechanisms of this beneficial effect remain to be elucidated. The aim of the study was to evaluate the potential effect of fenofibric acid (FA), the active metabolite of fenofibrate, in preventing retinal neurodegeneration in an experimental mouse model of type 2 diabetes.

The db/db mouse: a useful model for the study of diabetic retinal neurodegeneration.

Background: To characterize the sequential events that are taking place in retinal neurodegeneration in a murine model of spontaneous type 2 diabetes (db/db mouse).

Methods: C57BLKsJ-db/db mice were used as spontaneous type 2 diabetic animal model, and C57BLKsJ-db/+ mice served as the control group. To assess the chronological sequence of the abnormalities the analysis was performed at different ages (8, 16 and 24 weeks).

Canine normal corneal epithelium bears a large population of CD45-positive cells.

This investigation sought to identify the presence of immune cells in normal canine corneal epithelium. A whole-mount immunofluorescence study of normal canine epithelium using monoclonal antibodies against CD45, CD11c, CD1c and MHC class II was performed. CD45-positive cells were located in all epithelial layers throughout the cornea, occurring in greater numbers (51.