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. 2022 Oct 13;13:6045. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-33773-0

Fig. 7. RPE-specific Akt2 KI does not influence the development of diabetes-induced retinal vascular lesions.

Fig. 7

a Representative micrographs of retinal vessels from diabetic mice (8 months of diabetes) and age-matched nondiabetic mice. Scale bar: 100 µm. Arrows indicate degenerated capillaries and arrowheads indicate capillary pericytes. b Diabetes increased the number of degenerated capillaries and (c) decreased the number of retinal capillary pericytes in diabetic WT mice compared to nondiabetic animals. There was no significant difference in the numbers of acellular capillaries and pericytes in the retina between diabetic WT and diabetic Akt2 KI mice. d Representative micrographs of retinal sections from each group after mice were intravenously injected with FITC-albumin. Scale bar: 100 µm. e Average fluorescence intensity was quantified from a large area of INL, IPL, and OPL, excluding obvious microvessels. Diabetes-induced accumulation of FITC-BSA in these retinal layers was higher in WT and Akt2 KI diabetic mice (8 months of diabetes) compared to age-matched nondiabetic controls. There was no difference in diabetes-induced retinal vascular leakage between diabetic WT and diabetic Akt2 KI mice. In (b, c, e), n = 6 mice for each group, the data are expressed as mean ± SD. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, and ****p < 0.0001 shows changes versus WT nondiabetic control. †p < 0.05 and ††††p < 0.0001 shows changes versus Akt2 KI nondiabetic mice. Statistical test used in this study is One-way ANOVA followed by a Tukey’s post hoc test. Exact p values are: b p = 0.0003 (WT D vs. WT N), p < 0.0001 (Akt2 KI D vs. WT N and Akt2 KI D vs. Akt2 KI N). c p = 0.0001 (WT D vs. WT N), p = 0.0005 (Akt2 KI D vs. WT N), p = 0.0005 (Akt2 KI D vs. Akt2 KI N). e OPL, p = 0.0029 (WT D vs. WT N), p < 0.0001 (Akt2 KI D vs. WT N), p < 0.0001 (Akt2 KI D vs. Akt2 KI N); INL, p = 0.0009 (WT D vs. WT N), p < 0.0001 (Akt2 KI D vs. WT N, Akt2 KI D vs. Akt2 KI N); IPL, p = 0.0024 (WT D vs. WT N), p < 0.0001 (Akt2 KI D vs. WT N, Akt2 KI D vs. Akt2 KI N). N nondiabetic, D diabetic, WT wild type, KI knock-in, IPL inner plexiform layer, INL inner nuclear layer, OPL outer plexiform layer.