Objective: The microenvironment of outer retina is largely regulated by retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and choroid. Damage to either of these layers lead to the development of age related macular degeneration (AMD). A simplified cell culture model that mimics the RPE/Bruch's membrane (BM) and choroidal layers of the eye is a prerequisite for elucidating the molecular mechanism of disease progression.
Results: We have isolated primary retinal pigment epithelial cells (hRPE) and human primary choroidal endothelial cells (hCEC) from donor eyes to construct a bilayer of hCEC/hRPE on transwell inserts. Secretion of VEGF in the insert grown bilayer was significantly higher (22 pg/ml) than hCEC monolayer (3 pg/ml). To mimic the disease condition the model was treated with 100 ng/ml of VEGF, which increased the permeability of bilayer for 20 kDa FITC dextran while addition of bevacizumab, a humanized anti-VEGF drug, reversed the effect. To conclude the transwell insert based human primary hCEC/hRPE bilayer model would be an ideal system for studying the disease mechanisms and the crosstalk between RPE and choroid. This model will also be useful in screening small molecules and performing drug permeability kinetics.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13104-019-4333-x | DOI Listing |
J Clin Med
January 2025
Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Pediatric macular disorders are a diverse group of inherited retinal diseases characterized by central vision loss due to dysfunction and degeneration of the macula, the region of the retina responsible for high-acuity vision. Common disorders in this category include Stargardt disease, Best vitelliform macular dystrophy, and X-linked retinoschisis. These conditions often manifest during childhood or adolescence, with symptoms such as progressive central vision loss, photophobia, and difficulty with fine visual tasks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Clin Med
January 2025
Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany.
In this study, we evaluated clinical outcomes following a therapy switch to Faricimab, in a patient cohort affected by neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), having received prior intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy. A retrospective investigation, including 28 eyes of 23 patients, treated for nAMD at the University Medical Center Mainz, Germany was performed. A switch in therapy to Faricimab was conducted, due to an inadequate response to the previous anti-VEGF treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
January 2025
Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
Sequences and three-dimensional structures of the four vertebrate arrestins are very similar, yet in sharp contrast to other subtypes, arrestin-1 demonstrates exquisite selectivity for the active phosphorylated form of its cognate receptor, rhodopsin. The N-terminus participates in receptor binding and serves as the anchor of the C-terminus, the release of which facilitates arrestin transition into a receptor-binding state. We tested the effects of substitutions of fourteen residues in the N-terminus of arrestin-1 on the binding to phosphorylated and unphosphorylated light-activated rhodopsin of wild-type protein and its enhanced mutant with C-terminal deletion that demonstrates higher binding to both functional forms of rhodopsin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntioxidants (Basel)
January 2025
Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan.
Diabetic retinopathy is characterized by hyperglycemic retinal pigment epithelial cells that secrete excessive pro-inflammatory cytokines and VEGF, leading to retinal damage and vision loss. Cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP) is a compound that can reduce inflammatory responses by inducing high levels of HO-1. In the present study, the therapeutic effects of CoPP were examined in ARPE-19 cells under hyperglycemia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOphthalmologie
January 2025
Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Deutschland.
The accurate diagnosis of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) and its distinction from differential diagnoses is crucial for effective patient counseling and treatment. This is achieved through a targeted patient history and multimodal imaging, which distinguish CSC from other ocular diseases also characterized by subretinal fluid and changes in the retinal pigment epithelium. In this article we identify the key differential diagnoses of CSC and illustrate the characteristic differential diagnostic features of each disease.
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