Vascular Morphology in Normotensive and Hypertensive Rat Eyes

Presenter Information

Hannah Murphy, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Keshari Sudasinghe, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Location

CSU Ballroom

Start Date

10-4-2018 10:00 AM

End Date

10-4-2018 11:30 AM

Student's Major

Biological Sciences

Student's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Mentor's Name

Michael Bentley

Mentor's Department

Biological Sciences

Mentor's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Description

Vasculature changes induced by hypertension have been previously studied because hypertension is a prominent risk factor for many cardiovascular and renal diseases. The effects of hypertension on the vasculature of the eye, however, has not been extensively studied and could be important for diseases such as glaucoma. In this experiment, hypertensive and normotensive rat vasculature will be examined for differences in structure. If there are to be differences, we hope to find them especially in the aqueous humor drainage pathway, which is where drainage can cause issues and can lead to glaucoma. To study the vasculature of the eye, we will prepare vasculature casts by injecting Mercox plastic resin into the cardiovascular system and then remove the excess tissue with KOH. The casts will then be examined by scanning electron microscopy for differences between the normotensive and hypertensive rat eyes.