Structural changes in the developing retina maintained in vitro.

The present study examined the emergence of structural remodeling in explanted neonatal rat retina. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated signs of glial and neuronal remodeling after 11 days in vitro and included the activation of Müller cells, the formation of ectopic neuropil areas and sprouting of photoreceptor terminals. We also observed that cholinergic and GABA-ergic amacrine cells displayed signs of disorganized laminations. These results demonstrate that retinal culturing initiates structural changes that show morphological similarities to glial and neuronal remodeling identified in retinitis pigmentosa retinas and experimentally detached retinas.