Intravitreal neovessels in non-treated and AAV-null-treated 7.5 month-old TgIGF-I mice.

<p>(A) Representative image of PAS-stained sections of transgenic eyes showing intravitreal vessels. Note the presence of fibrotic tissue associated to the vessel attached to the inner limiting membrane of the retina, in an area where the retinal morphology appears altered. Wild-type eyes did not present vascular structures nor fibrosis in the vitreous cavity. Original magnification: 20× (B) ColIV (basal membrane marker) and CD105 (EC marker) inmunostaining in the same intravitreal neovessel depicted in (A) corresponding to a transgenic mouse aged 7.5 months. A clear CD105+ ring-shaped signal, indicating the presence of a lumen, was surrounded by Collagen IV+ staining. Arrows indicate completely formed intravitreal neovessels. Arrowheads indicate a blood vessel within the retina. Scale bar: 25 µm. (C) Representative image of the CD105+/Col-IV+ vascular structures <i>(asterisks)</i> present in the vitreous cavity of AAV2null-injected eyes 6 months after delivery of the vectors. No such structures were observed in the contralateral PEDF-treated eyes <i>(data not shown)</i>. The dashed line indicates the limit between the retina and the vitreous. Scale bar: 25 µm (<i>left pannel</i>), 7.5 µm (<i>right pannel</i>). <i>GCL</i>, ganglion cell layer; <i>L</i>, lenses, <i>V</i>, vitreous cavity, <i>R</i>, retina.