Cai Sophie, Smith Meghan Elisabeth, Redenti Stephen Michael, Wnek Gary Edmund, Young Michael Joseph
a Department of Ophthalmology , Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School , 20 Staniford Street , Boston , MA , 02114 , USA.
J Biomater Sci Polym Ed. 2012;23(11):1451-65. doi: 10.1163/092050611X584388. Epub 2012 May 11.
Age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa and glaucoma are among the many retinal degenerative diseases where retinal cell death leads to irreversible vision loss and blindness. Working toward a cell-replacement-based therapy for such diseases, a number of research groups have recently evaluated the feasibility of using retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) cultured and transplanted on biodegradable polymer substrates to replace damaged retinal tissue. Appropriate polymer substrate design is essential to providing a three-dimensional environment that can facilitate cell adhesion, proliferation and post-transplantation migration into the host environment. In this study, we have designed and fabricated a novel, ultra-thin electrospun poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffold with microscale fiber diameters, appropriate porosity for infiltration by RPCs, and biologically compatible mechanical characteristics. We have verified that our electrospun PCL scaffold supports robust mouse RPC proliferation, adhesion, and differentiation in vitro, as well as migration into mouse retinal explants. These promising results make PCL a strong candidate for further development as a cell transplantation substrate in retinal regenerative research.
年龄相关性黄斑变性、视网膜色素变性和青光眼是众多视网膜退行性疾病中的一部分，在这些疾病中，视网膜细胞死亡会导致不可逆转的视力丧失和失明。为了开发基于细胞替代的此类疾病治疗方法，一些研究小组最近评估了使用在可生物降解聚合物基质上培养和移植的视网膜祖细胞（RPC）来替代受损视网膜组织的可行性。合适的聚合物基质设计对于提供一个能够促进细胞黏附、增殖以及移植后向宿主环境迁移的三维环境至关重要。在本研究中，我们设计并制造了一种新型的、具有微米级纤维直径、适合RPC浸润的孔隙率以及生物相容性机械特性的超薄电纺聚己内酯（PCL）支架。我们已经证实，我们的电纺PCL支架在体外支持小鼠RPC的强劲增殖、黏附和分化，以及向小鼠视网膜外植体的迁移。这些有前景的结果使PCL成为视网膜再生研究中作为细胞移植基质进一步开发的有力候选材料。
