Abstract
Purpose. To evaluate the morphological and structural properties of cultured human D407 retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells on synthetic biodegradable polymer substrates. Mejjfrods. Human D407 RPE cells were cultured on biodegradable polymer films of 50:50 poly(DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and 75:25 PLGA manufactured using a solvent casting technique. The cell morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The expression of tight junction protein ZO-1 was studied by immunocytochemistry. Results. Human D407 RPE cells attached and spread on all the polymer substrates tested at 4 hrs after cell seeding. This is comparable to the control surface glass. Cells produced a large quantity of extracellular matrix after 4 days of in vitro culture. At confluence, ZO-1 protein was shown to concentrate mainly at the surface of cell-cell junction. Conclusions. Biodegradable polymer films can provide suitable substrates for human RPE cell culture, and may serve as temporary carriers for transplantation of organized sheets of RPE cells into the subretinal space. This could allow control of cell orientation. Supported by: National Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation and T.N. Law Fund. None.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | S335 |
| Journal | Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| State | Published - 1997 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ophthalmology
- Sensory Systems
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience