Determination of mitochondrial oxygen consumption in the retina ex vivo: Applications for retinal disease

Abstract

Mitochondrial dysfunction, and consequently altered aerobic energy metabolism, is associated with numerous retinal diseases, including photoreceptor degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Here, we describe a detailed protocol to directly measure oxygen consumption in the intact retina ex vivo using microplate-based fluorescence technology. We have used this method to assess preferred energy substrate for retinal tissue and suggested its application for investigating mechanisms of retinal disease.