Measuring the effects of postmortem time and age on mouse lens elasticity using atomic force microscopy

The mouse lens is frequently used both in vivo and ex vivo in ophthalmic research to model conditions affecting the human lens, such as presbyopia. The mouse lens has a delicate structure which is prone to damage and biomechanical changes both before and after extraction from the whole globe. When n...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Experimental eye research 2021-11, Vol.212, p.108768-108768, Article 108768
Main Authors: Batchelor, Wyndham More, Heilman, Bianca Maceo, Arrieta-Quintero, Esdras, Ruggeri, Marco, Parel, Jean-Marie, Manns, Fabrice, Cabrera-Ghayouri, Sara, Dibas, Mohammed, Ziebarth, Noel Marysa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Aging
Animals
Atomic force microscopy
Biomechanics
Elasticity
Female
Incubation time
Lens
Lens Capsule, Crystalline - cytology
Lens Capsule, Crystalline - physiology
Lens, Crystalline - cytology
Lens, Crystalline - physiology
Mice
Microscopy, Atomic Force - methods
Models, Animal
Postmortem time
Presbyopia
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Summary:The mouse lens is frequently used both in vivo and ex vivo in ophthalmic research to model conditions affecting the human lens, such as presbyopia. The mouse lens has a delicate structure which is prone to damage and biomechanical changes both before and after extraction from the whole globe. When not properly controlled for, these changes can confound the biomechanical analysis of mouse lenses. In this study, atomic force microscopy microindentation was used to assess changes in the Young's Modulus of Elasticity of the mouse lens as a function of mouse age and postmortem time. Old mouse lenses measured immediately postmortem were significantly stiffer than young mouse lenses (p = 0.028). However, after 18 h of incubation, there was no measurable difference in lens stiffness between old and young mouse lenses (p = 0.997). This demonstrates the need for careful experimental control in experiments using the mouse lens, especially regarding postmortem time. •Long postmortem times can obscure changes in the stiffness of the mouse lens ex vivo.•Young mice lenses are less stiff than old lenses when measured immediately.•Young mice lenses and old mice lenses have comparable stiffness after incubation for 18 hours.
ISSN:0014-4835
1096-0007
DOI:10.1016/j.exer.2021.108768