Subretinal transplantation of mouse retinal progenitor cells

The development of cell replacement techniques is promising as a potential treatment for photoreceptor loss. However, the limited integration ability of donor and recipient cells presents a challenge following transplantation. In the present study, retinal progenitor cells （RPCs） were harvested from the neural retinas of enhanced green fluorescent protein mice on postnatal day 1, and expanded in a neurobasal medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum without endothelial growth factor. Using a confocal microscope, immunohistochemistry demonstrated that expanded RPCs in vitro maintain retinal stem cell properties and can be differentiated into photoreceptor cells. Three weeks after transplantation, subretinal transplanted RPCs were found to have migrated and integrated into the outer nuclear layer of recipient retinas with laser injury, some of the integrated cells had differentiated into photoreceptors, and a subpopulation of these cells expressed photoreceptor specific synaptic protein, appearing to form synaptic connections with bipolar cells. These results suggest that subretinal transplantation of RPCs may provide a feasible therapeutic strategy for the loss of retinal photoreceptor cells.

Development-related mitochondrial properties of retinal pigment epithelium cells derived from hEROs

AIM:To explore the temporal mitochondrial characteristics of retinal pigment epithelium(RPE)cells obtained from human embryonic stem cells(hESC)-derived retinal organoids(hEROs-RPE),to verify the optimal period for using hEROs-RPE as donor cells from the aspect of mitochondria and to optimize RPE cell-based therapeutic strategies for age-related macular degeneration(AMD).METHODS:RPE cells were obtained from hEROs and from spontaneous differentiation(SD-RPE).The mitochondrial characteristics were analyzed every 20 d from day 60 to 160.Mitochondrial quantity was measured by MitoTracker Green staining.Transmission electron microscopy(TEM)was adopted to assess the morphological features of the mitochondria,including their distribution,length,and cristae.Mitochondrial membrane potentials(MMPs)were determined by JC-1 staining and evaluated by flow cytometry,reactive oxygen species(ROS)levels were evaluated by flow cytometry,and adenosine triphosphate(ATP)levels were measured by a luminometer.Differences between two groups were analyzed by the independentsamples t-test,and comparisons among multiple groups were made using one-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis H test when equal variance was not assumed.RESULTS:hEROs-RPE and SD-RPE cells from day 60 to 160 were successfully differentiated from hESCs and expressed RPE markers(Pax6,MITF,Bestrophin-1,RPE65,Cralbp).RPE features,including a cobblestonelike morphology with tight junctions(ZO-1),pigments and microvilli,were also observed in both hEROs-RPE and SDRPE cells.The mitochondrial quantities of hEROs-RPE and SD-RPE cells both peaked at day 80.However,the cristae of hEROs-RPE mitochondria were less mature and abundant than those of SD-RPE mitochondria at day 80,with hEROsRPE mitochondria becoming mature at day 100.Both hEROs-RPE and SD-RPE cells showed low ROS levels from day 100 to 140 and maintained a normal MMP during this period.However,hEROs-RPE mitochondria maintained a longer time to produce high levels of ATP(from day 120 to 140)than SD-RPE cells(only day 120).CONCLUSION:hEROs-RPE mitochondria develop more slowly and maintain a longer time to supply high-level energy than SD-RPE mitochondria.From the mitochondrial perspective,hEROs-RPE cells from day 100 to 140 are an optimal cell source for treating AMD.

Human melanopsin-AAV2/8 transfection to retina transiently restores visual function in rd1 mice

AIM： To explore whether ectopic expression of human melanopsin can effectively and safely restore visual function in rd1 mice.· METHODS： Hematoxylin-eosin staining of retinal sections from rd1 mice was used to detect the thickness of the outer nuclear layer to determine the timing of surgery. We constructed a human melanopsinAAV2/8 viral vector and injected it into the subretinal space of rd1 mice. The Phoenix Micron IV system was used to exclude the aborted injections, and immunohistochemistry was used to validate the ectopic expression of human melanopsin. Furthermore, visual electrophysiology and behavioral tests were used to detect visual function 30 and 45 d after the injection. The structure of the retina was compared between the human melanopsin-injected group and phosphate buffer saline（PBS）-injected group.·RESULTS： Retinas of rd1 mice lost almost all of their photoreceptors on postnatal day 28（P28）. We therefore injected the human melanopsin-adeno-associated virus（AAV） 2/8 viral vector into P30 rd1 mice. After excluding aborted injections, we used immunohistochemistry of the whole mount retina to confirm the ectopic expression of human melanopsin by co-expression of human melanopsin and YFP that was carried by a viral vector. At30 d post-injection, visual electrophysiology and the behavioral test significantly improved. However,restoration of vision disappeared 45 d after human melanopsin injection. Notably, human melanopsin-injected mice did not show any structural differences in their retinas compared with PBS-injected mice.·CONCLUSION： Ectopic expression of human melanopsin effectively and safely restores visual function in rd1

Regenerative treatment of ophthalmic diseases with stem cells:Principles,progress,and challenges

Background:Degenerate eye disorders,such as glaucoma,cataracts and age-related macular degeneration(AMD),are prevalent causes of blindness and visual impairment worldwide.Other eye disorders,including limbal stem cell deficiency(LSCD),dry eye diseases(DED),and retinitis pigmentosa(RP),result in symptoms such as ocular discomfort and impaired visual function,significantly impacting quality of life.Traditional therapies are limited,primarily focus on delaying disease progression,while emerging stem cell therapy directly targets ocular tissues,aiming to restore ocular function by reconstructing ocular tissue.Main text:The utilization of stem cells for the treatment of diverse degenerative ocular diseases is becoming increasingly significant,owing to the regenerative and malleable properties of stem cells and their functional cells.Currently,stem cell therapy for ophthalmopathy involves various cell types,such as embryonic stem cells(ESCs),induced pluripotent stem cells(iPSCs),mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs),and retinal progenitor cells(RPCs).In the current article,we will review the current progress regarding the utilization of stem cells for the regeneration of ocular tissue covering key eye tissues from the cornea to the retina.These therapies aim to address the loss of functional cells,restore damaged ocular tissue and or in a paracrine-mediated manner.We also provide an overview of the ocular disorders that stem cell therapy is targeting,as well as the difficulties and opportunities in this field.Conclusions:Stem cells can not only promote tissue regeneration but also release exosomes to mitigate inflam-mation and provide neuroprotection,making stem cell therapy emerge as a promising approach for treating a wide range of eye disorders through multiple mechanisms.