Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences 'Mario Serio', University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
Department of NEUROFARBA, Ophthalmology, University of Florence, Careggi, Florence, Italy.
Mol Biol Rep. 2024 Jun 14;51(1):746. doi: 10.1007/s11033-024-09647-7.
Human Amniotic Membrane (hAM) is endowed with several biological activities and might be considered an optimal tool in surgical treatment for different ophthalmic pathologies. We pioneered the surgical use of hAM to treat retinal pathologies such as macular holes, tears, and retinal detachments, and to overcome photoreceptor damage in age-related macular degeneration. Although hAM contributed to improved outcomes, the mechanisms of its effects are not yet fully understood. The characterization and explanation of the effects of hAM would allow the adoption of this new natural product in different retinal pathologies, operative contexts, and hAM formulations. At this end, we studied the properties of a hAM extract (hAME) on the ARPE-19 cells.
A non-denaturing sonication-based technique was developed to obtain a suitable hAME. Viability, proliferation, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were studied in hAME-treated ARPE-19 cells. The hAME was able to increase ARPE-19 cell viability even in the presence of oxidative stress (HO, TBHP). Moreover, hAME prevented the expression of EMT features, such as EMT-related proteins, fibrotic foci formation, and migration induced by different cytokines.
Our results demonstrate that the hAME retains most of the properties observed in the whole tissue by others. The hAME, other than providing a manageable research tool, could represent a cost-effective and abundant drug to treat retinal pathologies in the future.
人羊膜（hAM）具有多种生物学活性，可被视为治疗各种眼科疾病的外科治疗的理想工具。我们率先将 hAM 应用于治疗视网膜疾病，如黄斑裂孔、撕裂和视网膜脱离，并用于克服年龄相关性黄斑变性中的光感受器损伤。尽管 hAM 有助于改善结果，但它的作用机制尚未完全理解。hAM 作用的特性和解释将允许在不同的视网膜病变、手术环境和 hAM 配方中采用这种新的天然产物。为此，我们研究了 hAM 提取物（hAME）对 ARPE-19 细胞的特性。
开发了一种基于非变性超声的技术来获得合适的 hAME。在 hAME 处理的 ARPE-19 细胞中研究了活力、增殖、凋亡、氧化应激和上皮-间充质转化（EMT）。hAME 能够增加 ARPE-19 细胞的活力，即使在存在氧化应激（HO、TBHP）的情况下也是如此。此外，hAME 防止了 EMT 相关蛋白的表达、纤维化灶形成以及不同细胞因子诱导的迁移等 EMT 特征。
我们的结果表明，hAME 保留了其他人在整个组织中观察到的大部分特性。除了提供易于管理的研究工具外，hAME 将来可能成为治疗视网膜疾病的具有成本效益和丰富的药物。
