Detailed analysis and quantification of retinal morphometric characteristics.

<p>(A-E) Quantitative analysis of the vascular constituents in PAS stained retinal digest preparations. <i>Ndph</i>^<i>y/-</i> mice (n = 5) exhibited no difference in the diameter of their retinal arterioles (A) when compared to age-matched controls whereas those of venules (B) and capillaries (C) were increased by 20% and by 85%, respectively (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001 respectively, unpaired t-test). In <i>Ndph</i>^<i>y/-</i> mice, the microaneurysms (D) were more abundant on arterioles than on venules (P < 0.001, unpaired t-test) and (E) they were significantly wider in the center than in far periphery (P < 0.01, ANOVA). (F) Magnifications of retinal digest preparations confirmed the cellular aggregations in the microaneurysm-like structures as suggested from lectin-stained retinal whole mounts (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0178753#pone.0178753.g002" target="_blank">Fig 2B</a>). According to shape and staining mainly pericytes could be identified as constituents of these clusters (F, inset). In contrast to the evenly distributed capillary network of wild-type animals (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0178753#pone.0178753.g002" target="_blank">Fig 2C</a>) several capillary free zones were not only detected in the far periphery (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0178753#pone.0178753.g001" target="_blank">Fig 1B</a>) but also in the central part of the retina (F, asterisks) and even close to the optical disc (G, asterisks).