Time-, Location-, and Layer-Specific Chorioretinal Biomarkers in a Translational Large-Animal Porcine Model of Chorioretinal Ischemia.
- 1David J. Apple Laboratory for Vision Research, Heidelberg, Germany.
- 2Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
- 3Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Hamburg Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Abstract
Purpose
Conditions associated with complete or partial ocular ischemia, such as central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO), are vision-threatening emergencies. Therapeutic interventions are highly time-dependent, yet the exact onset of ischemia is often uncertain. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has emerged as a potential tool for objective staging; however, quantitative, layer-resolved OCT data within the earliest phase of retinal ischemia in clinically relevant large-animal models are lacking.Methods
Ten eyes from 10 pigs were included. Physiological retinal perfusion was confirmed using fluorescein-, indocyanine-green-, and OCT angiography (OCTA). Baseline chorioretinal morphology was assessed by OCT. Global retinal ischemia was induced by controlled cardiac arrest. Electrophysiological response of the retina after ischemia was measured using electroretinography (ERG) and serial OCT imaging was performed at intervals of 2.5 to 30 minutes for up to 270 minutes postmortem. Layer- and region-specific changes were quantified using dedicated image analysis software.Results
ERG response was abolished within 2 minutes after cardiac arrest and structural retinal changes were immediately detectable and followed a near-linear progression over time. Total retinal thickness increased approximately 1.56-fold within 270 minutes. Layer-specific swelling differed markedly, ranging from 1.5-fold in the outer nuclear layer to 2.2-fold in the inner plexiform layer. Despite these differences, swelling kinetics were remarkably conserved across retinal regions.Conclusions
Layer-specific OCT changes occur within minutes after retinal ischemia and exhibit highly reproducible, near-linear kinetics independent of retinal location. These findings establish a quantitative framework for time-resolved staging of retinal ischemia and may enable objective estimation of ischemia onset in clinical settings.
Related
- Editorial: Unveiling the complexity of neuroendocrine neoplasms: biomarkers, classification, and translational perspectives
- Diagnostic Assessment of Tamoxifen-Associated Endometrial Pathology: A Narrative Review of Biomarkers, Risk Models, and Translational Gaps
- Sepsis-associated endothelial dysfunction: clinical phenotypes, biomarkers, bedside evidence, and translational implications
- Diverging Trends in Treated In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Intensive Care Units and General Wards Using Location-Specific Patient-Days
- Spatially resolved gene expression analysis illuminates location-specific functions in the reef-building coral Pocillopora acuta
BibTeX
@article{junker2026time,
title = {{Time-, Location-, and Layer-Specific Chorioretinal Biomarkers in a Translational Large-Animal Porcine Model of Chorioretinal Ischemia.}},
author = {Niklas Junker and Noel Josua Olfert and Ludwig Geisweid and Anna Stoß and Bryan Calder Ackermann and Laura Ruddeck and Jakob Michael Rödl and Martin Stephan Spitzer and Gerd Uwe Auffarth and Victor Aristide Augustin and Maximilian Hammer},
journal = {Investigative ophthalmology \& visual science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1167/iovs.67.12.8},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42831588},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Time-, Location-, and Layer-Specific Chorioretinal Biomarkers in a Translational Large-Animal Porcine Model of Chorioretinal Ischemia.
AU - Niklas Junker
AU - Noel Josua Olfert
AU - Ludwig Geisweid
AU - Anna Stoß
AU - Bryan Calder Ackermann
AU - Laura Ruddeck
AU - Jakob Michael Rödl
AU - Martin Stephan Spitzer
AU - Gerd Uwe Auffarth
AU - Victor Aristide Augustin
AU - Maximilian Hammer
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Investigative ophthalmology & visual science
DO - 10.1167/iovs.67.12.8
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42831588
AB - Purpose Conditions associated with complete or partial ocular ischemia, such as central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO), are vision-threatening emergencies. Therapeutic interventions are highly time-dependent, yet the exact onset of ischemia is often uncertain. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has emerged as a potential tool for objective staging; however, quantitative, layer-resolved OCT data within the earliest phase of retinal ischemia in clinically relevant large-animal models are lacking.Methods Ten eyes from 10 pigs were included. Physiological retinal perfusion was confirmed using fluorescein-, indocyanine-green-, and OCT angiography (OCTA). Baseline chorioretinal morphology was assessed by OCT. Global retinal ischemia was induced by controlled cardiac arrest. Electrophysiological response of the retina after ischemia was measured using electroretinography (ERG) and serial OCT imaging was performed at intervals of 2.5 to 30 minutes for up to 270 minutes postmortem. Layer- and region-specific changes were quantified using dedicated image analysis software.Results ERG response was abolished within 2 minutes after cardiac arrest and structural retinal changes were immediately detectable and followed a near-linear progression over time. Total retinal thickness increased approximately 1.56-fold within 270 minutes. Layer-specific swelling differed markedly, ranging from 1.5-fold in the outer nuclear layer to 2.2-fold in the inner plexiform layer. Despite these differences, swelling kinetics were remarkably conserved across retinal regions.Conclusions Layer-specific OCT changes occur within minutes after retinal ischemia and exhibit highly reproducible, near-linear kinetics independent of retinal location. These findings establish a quantitative framework for time-resolved staging of retinal ischemia and may enable objective estimation of ischemia onset in clinical settings.
SN - 0146-0404
SN - 1552-5783
ER -