Time-lapse in vivo imaging of corneal angiogenesis: the role of inflammatory cells in capillary sprouting.

Purpose: To elucidate the temporal sequence of events leading to new capillary sprouting in inflammatory corneal angiogenesis.

Methods: Angiogenesis was induced by corneal suture placement in Wistar rats. The inflamed region was examined by time-lapse in vivo confocal microscopy for up to 7 days. At 6 and 12 hours and 1, 2, 4, and 7 days, corneas were excised for flat mount immunofluorescence with primary antibodies for CD31, CD34, CD45, CD11b, CD11c, Ki-M2R, NG2, and α-SMA. From days 0 to 4, the in vivo extravasation and expansion characteristics of single limbal vessels were quantified.

Results: Starting hours after induction and peaking at day 1, CD45(+)CD11b(+) myeloid cells extravasated from limbal vessels and formed endothelium-free tunnels within the stroma en route to the inflammatory stimulus. Limbal vessel diameter tripled on days 2 to 3 as vascular buds emerged and transformed into perfused capillary sprouts less than 1 day later. A subset of spindle-shaped CD11b(+) myeloid-lineage cells, but not dendritic cells or mature macrophages, appeared to directly facilitate further capillary sprout growth. These cells incorporated into vascular endothelium near the sprout tip, co-expressing endothelial marker CD31. Sprouts had perfusion characteristics distinct from feeder vessels and many sprout tips were open-ended.

Conclusions: Time-lapse in vivo corneal confocal microscopy can be used to track a temporal sequence of events in corneal angiogenesis. The technique has revealed potential roles for myeloid cells in promoting vessel sprouting in an inflammatory corneal setting.