Abstract
Purpose :
Accumulation of A2E and Exposure of blue light are a major factor of marcular degeneration. These are related with angiogenesis between retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and choroid. There were no 3-deimensional (D) choroidal neovascularization (CNV) model to describe both accumulation of A2E, optical stimulus and movement of endothelial cells. We developed 3D retinal-vascular mimetic system reflecting angiogenesis induced by A2E-blue light damage.
Methods :
Human RPE cells and peripheral micro-vascular endothelial (PMVE) cells were co-cultured in a microfluidic channel. hRPEs were pretreated with 10 µM A2E, and then the cells were exposed with/without blue light (the channel of RPE cells were exposed to 400 ± 20 nm for 30 seconds). A hypoxic condition for 24hrs was used as positive control of CNV. We examined the chemical and optical stimulus on 3D retinal-vascular mimetics system, and then evaluated cell invasion, Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion and activation of the signal mediators.
Results :
In the 3D retinal-vascular mimetic system between RPE and PMVE cells, PMVE cell were invaded into RPE cells in hypoxia (21.0 ± 3.93 cell/unit area), A2E (22.3 ± 4.26 cell/unit area), and A2E with blue light (36.3 ± 5.02 cell/unit area) conditions for 24hrs. In the addition, Secretion of VEGF by RPE in the 3D retinal-vascular mimetics system increased A2E with/without blue light and hypoxia conditions by ELISA assay for 24 hrs.
Conclusions :
In this study, data indicated A2E-blue light induced the secretion of VEGF and the invasion of PMVE cells in 3D co-culture model. We established new 3D retinal-vascular mimetic model, an angiogenesis model related with CNV, would be able to detect invasion of endothelial cells under a disease condition. This model would be to employ for a candidate selection before a pre-clinical trial.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.