Abstract
Purpose: :
Recently, there has been increased interest in the utilization of sol–gel polymeric systems to create a formed vitreous substitute for the repair of complex retinal detachments. One possible theoretical complication of these systems is that they might provide a scaffold for proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) and thus result in a high rate of re–detachment and surgical failure. The purpose of this research was to evaluate whether polymeric substrates of varying shear moduli are able to support growth of various cell types and promote differential growth of cell populations.
Methods: :
Polyacrylamide gels, with shear moduli from 500 to 5500 dynes/cm2 were coated with poly–D–lysine, followed by a thin film of matrigel. Primary murine spinal cord neuronal cultures were plated on the polyacrylamide substrates. Survival and morphology of all cell types was quantified.
Results: :
Polymeric vitreous substrates with shear modulus less than 5500 dynes/cm2 provide a medium on which neurons survive but many glial cells do not.
Conclusions: :
Utilization of formed vitreous substitutes with low shear modulus may provide a means of re–attaching the retina in the case of complex retinal detachments without promoting severe PVR and a high risk of tractional retinal detachments. These compounds may also provide a novel mechanism for prevention of PVR–associated retinal detachments after primary repair of retinal detachments.
Keywords: vitreous substitutes • proliferative vitreoretinopathy • retinal detachment