[Quantification of oxygen-induced retinopathy in the mouse].

PURPOSE: To establish a quantifying model of retinal neovascularization suitable for examining pathogenesis and therapeutic intervention for the retinal neovascularization. METHODS: Sixty 7-day-old C57BL/6J mice were divided into oxygen-induced retinopathy group and control group. In oxygen-induced retinopathy group, 32 mice were exposed to (75 +/- 2)% oxygen for 5 days and then to room air; in control group, 32 mice were raised in room air. The retinal frozen sections were stained with griffonia simplicifolia lectin B4 (GSA) which selectively stained vascular cells; or the retinal preparation perfused with fluorescein-dextran were used to test the areas of the retinal neovascularization. RESULTS: After 5 days of exposure to hyperoxia at postnatal day 12 (P12), the larger central radial vessels became tortuous and constricted and central perfusion became obviously decreased. After returning to room air for 2 days at P14, neovascularization was seen. This response was maximal at P17. CONCLUSION: The reproducible and quantifiable mouse model of retinal neovascularization is useful for the study of pathogenesis of retinal neovascularization and therapeutic intervention.