FIGURE 5.

Intravitreal injection of EXO_PACAP38 to rat eyes did not cause any toxicity to the retina. (A) H&E staining of retinal sections showing the morphology of the central (top) and peripheral (bottom) parts of retinal tissues in the normal control, vehicle (PBS)-treated, and EXO_PACAP38-treated groups. (B) Representative OCT images showing the thickness of different layers of the retina within a range of 3600 μm in circumference with the optic disc as the center (black circle) at 14 days after injury in the normal control, vehicle (PBS)-treated, and EXO_PACAP38-treated groups. RNFL refers to the distance between the red and yellow lines. The whole retinal layer (WRL) refers to the distance between red and blue lines. (C) Quantitative analysis of the mean thickness of the RNFL and WRL of rats at 14 days. No significance in the mean thickness of the RNFL or WRL was observed at 14 days among the normal control, PBS-treated, and EXO_PACAP38-treated groups (n = 3; values are mean ± SEM, one-way ANOVA). (D) F-VEP was recorded at 14 days in the normal control, PBS-treated, and EXO_PACAP38-treated groups. (E,F) EXO_PACAP38 did not induce F-VEP changes. No significant improvement in the amplitudes and latencies of the P2-wave was achieved at 14 days after injury among the normal control, PBS-treated, and EXO_PACAP38-treated groups (n = 4; values are mean ± SEM, one-way ANOVA).