Selective Removal of Photoreceptor Cells In Vivo Using the Biodegradable Elastomer Poly(Glycerol Sebacate)
Author(s)
Ghosh, Fredrik; Neeley, William L.; Arner, Karin; Langer, Robert
DownloadGhosh-2011-Selective Removal of.pdf (388.8Kb)
PUBLISHER_POLICY
Publisher Policy
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Terms of use
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Retinal transplantation experiments have advanced considerably during recent years, but remaining diseased photoreceptor cells in the host retina physically obstruct the development of graft–host neuronal contacts that are required for vision. We here report selective removal of photoreceptors using the biodegradable elastomer poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS). A 1 × 3 mm PGS membrane was implanted in the subretinal space of normal rabbit eyes, and morphologic specimens were examined with hematoxylin and eosin staining and a panel of immunohistochemical markers. Seven days postoperatively, a patent separation of the neuroretina and retinal pigment epithelium was found as well as loss of several rows of photoreceptors in combination with massive terminal transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining for apoptosis in the outer nuclear layer. After 28 days, the neuroretina was reattached, the PGS membrane had degraded, and photoreceptors were absent in the implantation area. Activated Müller cells were found in the entire retina in 7-day specimens, and in the implantation area after 28 days. AII amacrine and rod bipolar cell morphology was not affected, except for disrupted dendritic branching, which was present in rod bipolar cells in 28-day specimens. We conclude that retinal detachment induced by the biodegradable PGS membrane creates a permissive environment in which graft–host neuronal connections may be facilitated in future retinal transplantation experiments.
Date issued
2011-07Department
Harvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemical EngineeringJournal
Tissue Engineering. Part A
Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Citation
Ghosh, Fredrik et al. “Selective Removal of Photoreceptor Cells In Vivo Using the Biodegradable Elastomer Poly(Glycerol Sebacate).” Tissue Engineering Part A 17 (2011): 1675-1682. © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Version: Final published version
ISSN
1937-3341
1937-335X