Murine high-fat diet and laser photochemical model of basal deposits in bruch membrane

Abstract

Objective: To examine the histologic, histochemical, and ultrastructural changes in Bruch membrane in mice on a high-fat diet with and without laser photochemical injury. Methods: Five groups of C57BL/6 mice were studied. Group 1 included 2-month-old mice on a normal diet; group 2 included 8-month-old mice on a normal diet; group 3 included 8-month-old mice on a high-fat diet; groups 4 and 5 included 8-month-old mice on a normal diet or high-fat diet, respectively, that underwent laser application of one eye with argon blue laser (488 nm). The mice were killed and plasma lipid levels were measured. The eyes were examined by standard electron microscopy, filipin histochemistry for unesterified cholesterol (UC) and esterified cholesterol (EC), and the osmium-tannic acid-phenylenediamine method for preserving extracellular lipid particles. Results: The plasma cholesterol level was significantly higher in the mice on the high-fat diet than the controls (P