NUTRITIONALLY INDUCED RETINAL DEGENERATION IN RATS

Nondystrophic RCS rdy(+) rats were fed a vitamin E-deficient diet for a period of 3 mo. Light and electron microscopic examination revealed degenerative alterations in retinal tissue in the form of a reduction in the thickness of the outer nuclear layer, shortening of the photore ceptor outer segments, and extreme thinning of the pigment epithelial cells, including a reduction in the number of cell organelles. These c hanges may be a result of increased lipid peroxidation activity in the retina, because vitamin E is known to have a protective antioxidant e ffect in many tissues. Some of the alterations are similar to those fo und in hereditary retinal dystrophies.