Referenced in: none

Automatically associated channels: Kir4.1

Title: Ocular inflammation alters swelling and membrane characteristics of rat Müller glial cells.

Authors: Thomas Pannicke, Ortrud Uckermann, Ianors Iandiev, Peter Wiedemann, Andreas Reichenbach, Andreas Bringmann

Journal, date & volume: J. Neuroimmunol., 2005 Apr , 161, 145-54

PubMed link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15748953

Abstract
Ocular inflammation is a common cause of retinal edema that may involve swelling of Müller glial cells. In order to investigate whether endotoxin-induced ocular inflammation in rats alters the swelling and membrane characteristics of Müller cells, lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 0.5%) was intravitreally injected. At 3 and 7 days after treatment, hypotonic challenge induced swelling of Müller cell somata that was not observed in non-treated control eyes. Müller cells of LPS-treated eyes displayed a downregulation of inward K(+) currents and upregulation of A-type K(+) currents that was associated with a decreased expression of Kir4.1 protein in retinal slices. The data suggest that ocular inflammation induces alterations of both the swelling characteristics and the K(+) channel expression of Müller cells.