. Experimental transplantation of human retinal pigment epithelial cells on collagen substrates

摘要

Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells play a vital role in providing anatomic, mechanical, and metabolic support for the photoreceptors and outer retina1. RPE dysfunction, atrophy and degeneration have been implicated as the cause of many retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration2-4.Retinal pigment epithelial transplantation has been shown to rescue photoreceptor cells in Royal College of Surgeons dystrophic rats5-7. Various types of retinal pigment epithelial grafts8,9 and surgical techniques10,11 have been tried with varying degrees of success. In most previous experiments, RPE cells were transplanted in suspension form by the bolus injection technique. This injection of suspended RPE cells can result in various complications, including multiple layer stacking of RPE cells, subretinal fibrosis, invasion of the retina by wandering pigmented cells, the formation of retinal rosettes, and RPE cells in the vitreous causing proliferative vitreoretinopathy12.We transplanted human fetal RPE cells cultured on a collagen support into rabbit subretinal space by the transvitreal approach to have a precise and controlled implantation of RPE cells and to avoid these complications. We also performed sham surgery by transplanting the collagen support alone to evaluate its effect on the retina.