Figure 2. Effect of TUDCA on LIRD mouse retina morphology and apoptosis: 15 days post-light exposure

Confocal micrographs of LIRD mouse retina sections assayed for apoptosis by fluorescent TUNEL. Bright light exposure induced massive apoptosis and morphological damage in retinal photoreceptors of vehicle-treated (left) but not TUDCA-treated eyes (right). Of particular note in the vehicle-treated sample is the thinning of the outer nuclear layer (ONL) and the nearly-complete loss of inner segments (IS) and outer segments (OS) of the photoreceptors. Additionally, nearly all the photoreceptor nuclei are TUNEL-positive. Conversely, TUDCA-treated samples showed intact photoreceptors, thick ONL, and very few TUNEL-positive photoreceptor cells. Treatment had no discernable effect on the inner nuclear layer (INL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), or retinal pigment epithelium (RPE).