Purpose: Dysfunction of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) causes numerous forms of retinal degeneration. RPE replacement is a modern option to save vision. We aimed to test the results of transplanting cultured RPEs on biocompatible membranes.

Methods: We cultivated porcine primary RPE cells isolated from cadaver eyes from the slaughterhouse on two types of membranes: commercial polyester scaffolds Transwell (Corning Inc., Kenneburg, ME, USA) with 0.4 µm pore size and prepared Poly (L-lactide-co-DL-lactide) (PDLLA) nanofibrous membranes with an average pore size of 0.4 µm.

Results: Five types of assays were used for the analysis: immunocytochemistry (ICC), phagocytosis assay, Western blotting, real-time qPCR (RT-qPCR) and electron microscopy. RT-qPCR demonstrated that RPEs cultured on nanofibrous membranes have higher expressions of BEST1 (bestrophin 1), RLBP1 (retinaldehyde-binding protein 1), RPE65 (retinal pigment epithelium-specific 65 kDa protein), PAX6 (transcription factor PAX6), SOX9 (transcription factor SOX9), DCT (dopachrome tautomerase) and MITF (microphthalmia-associated transcription factor). ICC of the RPEs cultured on nanofibrous membranes showed more intensive staining of markers such as BEST1, MCT1 (monocarboxylate transporter 1), Na /K ATPase, RPE65 and acetylated tubulin in comparison with commercial ones. Additionally, the absence of α-SMA proved the stability of the RPE polarization state and the absence of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. RPE possessed high phagocytic activity. Electron microscopy of both membranes confirmed a confluent layer of RPE cells and their genuine morphological structure, which was comparable to native RPEs.

Conclusions: Retinal pigment epitheliums cultured on polylactide nanofibrous membranes improved the final quality of the cell product by having better maturation and long-term survival of the RPE monolayer compared to those cultured on commercial polyester scaffolds. PDLLA-cultured RPEs are a plausible source for the replacement of non-functioning RPEs during cell therapy.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/aos.15034DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

nanofibrous membranes
20
rpe cells
12
retinal pigment
12
transcription factor
12
rpe
8
primary rpe
8
commercial polyester
8
polyester scaffolds
8
pore size
8
electron microscopy
8

Similar Publications

Development of Betalain-immobilized polylactic acid nanofibers as a green and sustainable sensor for toxic ammonia.

Int J Biol Macromol

December 2024

National Research Centre (Scopus Affiliation ID 60014618), Textile Industries Research Division, Pre-treatment and Finishing of Cellulose Based Textiles Department, 33 El-Buhouth St., (former El-Tahrir St.), Dokki, P.O. 12622, Giza, Egypt.

Ammonia has been an important industrial colorless agent. Exposure to gaseous ammonia results in organ damage or even death. Herein, an environmentally friendly colorimetric detector for aqueous and gaseous ammonia was prepared utilizing vapochromic polylactic acid nanofibers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Sterilization and Filter Performance of Nano- and Microfibrous Facemask Filters - Electrospinning and Restoration of Charges for Competitive Sustainable Alternatives.

Macromol Rapid Commun

December 2024

Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Laboratory for Biomimetic Membranes and Textiles, St. Gallen, 9014, Switzerland.

Facemask materials have been under constant development to optimize filtration performance, wear comfort, and general resilience to chemical and mechanical stress. While single-use polypropylene meltblown membranes are the established go-to material for high-performing mask filters, they are neither sustainable nor particularly resistant to sterilization methods. Herein an in-depth analysis is provided of the sterilization efficiency, filtration efficiency, and breathing resistance of selected aerosol filters commonly implemented in facemasks, with a particular focus on the benefits of nanofibrous filters.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Versatile LaCoNiO Nanofiber Membrane for High Performance Oxygen Electrocatalysis over a Wide Temperature Range.

Small

December 2024

School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Material Processing and Die and Mold Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, P. R. China.

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are key processes in numerous oxygen-involved applications over a wide temperature range. Despite advances in nanofiber engineering to increase active site density and catalytic efficiency for ORR/OER, conventional electrode fabrication methods often compromise the integrity of nanofibrous structures. Herein, a robust strategy is presented for the fabrication of LaCoNiO (LCN) nanofibrous membranes using optimized electrospinning techniques.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Self-crystal electret poly(lactic acid) nanofibers for high-flow air purification and AI-assisted respiratory diagnosis.

J Hazard Mater

December 2024

School of Materials Science and Physics, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China; Jiangsu Engineering Research Center of Dust Control and Occupational Protection, Xuzhou 221008,  China; College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Chengdu 610065, China. Electronic address:

Particulate matters (PMs), one of the major airborne pollutants, continue to seriously threaten human health and the environment. Here, a self-crystal-induced electret enhancement (SCIEE) strategy was developed to promote the in-situ electret effect and polarization properties of electrospun poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) nanofibers. The strategy specifically involved the elaborate pre-structuring of stereocomplex crystals (SCs) with uniform dimensions (∼300 nm), which were introduced into PLLA electrospinning solution as the electrets and physical cross-linking points of high density.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Self-cleaning micro/nano graded porous groove structure fiber membranes by coaxial spinning for purification of dye wastewater.

Environ Res

December 2024

State Key Lab of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, 610500, PR China; College of Petroleum and Gas Engineering Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, 610500, PR China; Oil & Gas Field Applied Chemistry Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, 610500, PR China. Electronic address:

Adjusting the structure of the membrane and improving its performance proved to be an effective technique for accomplishing efficient dye wastewater purification. Water erosion of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) core in polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber membrane modified with UiO-66-NH was successfully achieved, in this study, using coaxial electrospinning, and ZIF-8 with excellent performance was further epitaxy-grown in situ. Two differently shaped and positively charged MOFs confer strong adsorption capacity (adsorption capacity >2042 mg/g) on cationic dyes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!