Heterotypic macrophages/microglia differentially contribute to retinal ischaemia and neovascularisation

Aims/hypothesis: Diabetic retinopathy is characterised by neuroinflammation that drives neuronal and vascular degenerative pathology, which in many individuals can lead to retinal ischaemia and neovascularisation. Infiltrating macrophages and activated retina-resident microglia have been implicated in the progression of diabetic retinopathy, although the distinct roles of these immune cells remain ill-defined. Our aim was to clarify the distinct roles of macrophages/microglia in the pathogenesis of proliferative ischaemic retinopathies.

Methods: Murine oxygen-induced retinopathy is commonly used as a model of ischaemia-induced proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). We evaluated the phenotype macrophages/microglia by immunostaining, quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), flow cytometry and scRNA-seq analysis. In clinical imaging studies of diabetic retinopathy, we used optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography.

Results: Immunostaining, qRT-PCR and flow cytometry showed expression levels of M1-like macrophages/microglia markers (CD80, CD68 and nitric oxide synthase 2) and M2-like macrophages/microglia markers (CD206, CD163 and macrophage scavenger receptor 1) were upregulated in areas of retinal ischaemia and around neo-vessels, respectively. scRNA-seq analysis of the ischaemic retina revealed distinct ischaemia-related clusters of macrophages/microglia that express M1 markers as well as C-C chemokine receptor 2. Inhibition of Rho-kinase (ROCK) suppressed CCL2 expression and reduced CCR2-positive M1-like macrophages/microglia in areas of ischaemia. Furthermore, the area of retinal ischaemia was reduced by suppressing blood macrophage infiltration not only by ROCK inhibitor and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 antibody but also by GdCl₃. Clinical imaging studies of diabetic retinopathy using OCT indicated potential involvement of macrophages/microglia represented by hyperreflective foci in areas of reduced perfusion.

Conclusions/interpretation: These results collectively indicated that heterotypic macrophages/microglia differentially contribute to retinal ischaemia and neovascularisation in retinal vascular diseases including diabetic retinopathy. This adds important new information that could provide a basis for a more targeted, cell-specific therapeutic approach to prevent progression to sight-threatening PDR.