Abstract
BackgroundTransplantation as a therapeutic strategy for inherited retinal degeneration has been historically viewed to restore vision as a method by replacing the lost retinal cells and attempting to reconstruct the neural circuitry with stem cells, progenitor cells and mature neural retinal cells.Methods and FindingsWe present evidence for an alternative strategy aimed at preventing the secondary loss of cones, the most crucial photoreceptors for vision, by transplanting normal photoreceptors cells into the eye of the P23H rat, a model of dominant retinitis pigmentosa. We carried out transplantation of photoreceptors or total neural retina in 3-month-old P23H rats and evaluated the function and cell counts 6 months after surgery. In both groups, cone loss was significantly reduced (10%) in the transplanted eyes where the cone outer segments were found to be considerably longer. This morphological effect correlated with maintenance of the visual function of cones as scored by photopic ERG recording, but more precisely with an increase in the photopic b-wave amplitudes by 100% and 78% for photoreceptor transplantation and whole retinal transplantation respectively.ConclusionsWe demonstrate here that the transplanted tissue prevents the loss of cone function, which is further translated into cone survival.
Highlights
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP), the leading cause of inherited retinal blindness, encompasses a heterogeneous group of inherited disorders
We demonstrate here that the transplanted tissue prevents the loss of cone function, which is further translated into cone survival
Though this study provides clear evidence that cell-replacement therapy may be possible in the future, the translation of its finding into an effective clinical practice will face the problem of availability of donor progenitor cells, as the period corresponding to the peak of rod genesis in humans is likely to be in the second trimester [27]
Summary
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP), the leading cause of inherited retinal blindness, encompasses a heterogeneous group of inherited disorders. Formation of rosettes of photoreceptors from the transplant were often reported, from which the limited cell-cell integration between the grafted and host tissues could not contribute to an improved visual function, the visual restoration reported by these studies is likely to be related to a paracrine effect. This has been studied and demonstrated by. Transplantation as a therapeutic strategy for inherited retinal degeneration has been historically viewed to restore vision as a method by replacing the lost retinal cells and attempting to reconstruct the neural circuitry with stem cells, progenitor cells and mature neural retinal cells
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