Immunohistochemical study of spatial relationships in idiopathic epiretinal membrane components

Introduction. Idiopathic epiretinal membrane is a formation of a fibrous cellular tissue in the macula. To our understanding there is no data on the interaction of epiretinal membrane structures with each other, as well as on the relationship of them with the inner limiting membrane. The morphology of the latter during idiopathic epiretinal membrane formation has been scarcely studied due to the absence of specific immunohistochemical markers. We focused on localizing and exploring the relationship of epiretinal membrane components as well as determining immunohistochemical markers that allow the identification of epiretinal and inner limiting membranes in the studied samples. Materials and methods. We analyzed 29 removed eyes from 29 patients diagnosed with idiopathic epiretinal membrane. Immunohistochemical study was performed to detect the following markers: α1α2 type IV collagen and laminin γ3. The analysis was carried out using a confocal laser scanning microscope. Results. The markers confirmed their specificity on staining of the inner limiting membrane. We revealed 3 tendencies of how the relationship between idiopathic epiretinal membrane and inner limiting membrane (3 morphological types of idiopathic epiretinal membrane) form. Conclusion. Laminin γ3 and α1α2 type IV collagen are reliable markers of inner limiting membrane staining, which allow to study spatial relationships of idiopathic epiretinal membrane and inner limiting membrane within the studied samples. The 3 tendencies detected require further study using clinical data and statistical analysis techniques. Keywords: epiretinal membrane, inner limiting membrane, immunohistochemistry