Evangelho Karine Dos Santos, Cifuentes-González Carlos, Rojas-Carabali William, Vivero-Arciniegas Clemencia De, Cañas-Arboleda Mariana, Salguero Gustavo, Ramírez-Santana Carolina, de-la-Torre Alejandra
Doctoral Program in Biomedical and Biological Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
Neuroscience (NEUROS) Research Group, Neurovitae Research Center, Institute of Translational Medicine (IMT), School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
Vet World. 2024 Feb;17(2):500-508. doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2024.500-508. Epub 2024 Feb 29.
Stem cell therapy is considered a promising treatment for several neurodegenerative diseases. However, there are very few studies on the use of this therapy in glaucoma models. By detecting the changes produced by glaucoma early, cell therapy could help prevent the events that lead to blindness. In this study, early changes in the optic nerve head (ONH) as detected by optical coherence tomography (OCT) after the application of human Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hWJ-MSCs) in an experimental model of ocular hypertension (OH) were evaluated.
Fifteen New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into the following three groups: G1: OH, G2: hWJ-MSCs, and G3: OH + hWJ-MSCs. An OH model was constructed, and the intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured regularly. At week 7, 10/100 μL hWJ-MSCs were intravitreally injected. Retinography and OCT were used to evaluate structural changes in ONH.
IOP increased significantly in G1 and G3 from week 3 onward. Retinography revealed more significant optic nerve changes, that is, papillary asymmetry suggestive of optic nerve excavation, vascular alterations, and irregular hypopigmentation peripheral to the optic disk margin, in G1 compared with G3. OH locates the hWJ-MSCs solution in the vitreous in front of the optic nerve. OCT revealed retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) reduction in all groups, reduced optic cup volume in G2 and G3 between weeks 1 and 9, and significant ganglion cell layer thickness reduction in G1 and a slight increase in G3.
Intravitreal hWJ-MSCs injection produced changes in optic cup volume, which were detected early on by OCT; however, RNFL could not be restored in this OH model.
干细胞疗法被认为是治疗多种神经退行性疾病的一种有前景的方法。然而，关于在青光眼模型中使用这种疗法的研究非常少。通过早期检测青光眼产生的变化，细胞疗法有助于预防导致失明的事件。在本研究中，评估了在实验性高眼压（OH）模型中应用人脐带华通氏胶间充质基质细胞（hWJ-MSCs）后，光学相干断层扫描（OCT）检测到的视神经乳头（ONH）的早期变化。
15只新西兰兔被随机分为以下三组：G1：高眼压组，G2：hWJ-MSCs组，G3：高眼压+hWJ-MSCs组。构建高眼压模型，并定期测量眼压（IOP）。在第7周，向玻璃体腔内注射10/100μL hWJ-MSCs。使用视网膜造影和OCT评估ONH的结构变化。
从第3周起，G1组和G3组的IOP显著升高。视网膜造影显示，与G3组相比，G1组的视神经变化更显著，即提示视神经凹陷的乳头不对称、血管改变以及视盘边缘周围不规则的色素减退。高眼压使hWJ-MSCs溶液位于视神经前方的玻璃体中。OCT显示所有组的视网膜神经纤维层（RNFL）均减少，G2组和G3组在第1至9周期间视杯体积减小，G1组神经节细胞层厚度显著降低，G3组略有增加。
玻璃体腔内注射hWJ-MSCs可使视杯体积发生变化，OCT可早期检测到这种变化；然而，在该高眼压模型中RNFL未能恢复。
