Establishment of a Rapid Lesion-Controllable Retinal Degeneration Monkey Model for Preclinical Stem Cell Therapy

Background: Retinal degenerative disorders (RDs) are the main cause of blindness without curable treatment. Our previous studies have demonstrated that human-induced pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into retinal organoids with all subtypes of retina, which provides huge promise for treating...

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Main Authors: Guanjie Gao, Liwen He, Shengxu Liu, Dandan Zheng, Xiaojing Song, Wenxin Zhang, Minzhong Yu, Guangwei Luo, Xiufeng Zhong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
Series:Cells
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/9/11/2468
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author Guanjie Gao
Liwen He
Shengxu Liu
Dandan Zheng
Xiaojing Song
Wenxin Zhang
Minzhong Yu
Guangwei Luo
Xiufeng Zhong
author_facet Guanjie Gao
Liwen He
Shengxu Liu
Dandan Zheng
Xiaojing Song
Wenxin Zhang
Minzhong Yu
Guangwei Luo
Xiufeng Zhong
author_sort Guanjie Gao
collection DOAJ
description Background: Retinal degenerative disorders (RDs) are the main cause of blindness without curable treatment. Our previous studies have demonstrated that human-induced pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into retinal organoids with all subtypes of retina, which provides huge promise for treating these diseases. Before these methods can be realized, RD animal models are required to evaluate the safety and efficacy of stem cell therapy and to develop the surgical tools and procedures for cell transplantation in patients. This study involved the development of a monkey model of RD with controllable lesion sites, which can be rapidly prepared for the study of preclinical stem cell therapy among other applications. Methods: Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in three doses was delivered into the monkey eye by subretinal injection (SI), and normal saline was applied as control. Structural and functional changes of the retinas were evaluated via multimodal imaging techniques and multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) before and after the treatment. Histological examination was performed to identify the target layer of the affected retina. The health status of monkeys was monitored during the experiment. Results: Well-defined lesions with various degrees of retinal degeneration were induced at the posterior pole of retina as early as 7 days after SNP SI. The damage of SNP was dose dependent. In general, 0.05 mM SNP caused mild structural changes in the retina; 0.1 mM SNP led to the loss of outer retinal layers, including the outer plexiform layer (OPL), outer nuclear layer (ONL), and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE); while 0.2 mM SNP impacted the entire layer of the retina and choroid. MfERG showed reduced amplitude in the damaged region. The structural and functional damages were not recovered at 7-month follow-up. Conclusion: A rapidly induced lesion site-controllable retinal degeneration monkey model was established by the subretinal administration of SNP, of which the optimal dose is 0.1 mM. This monkey model mimics the histological changes of advanced RDs and provides a valuable platform for preclinical assessment of stem cell therapy for RDs.
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spelling doaj.art-7208167458904dae947860e12292767e2023-11-20T20:47:43ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092020-11-01911246810.3390/cells9112468Establishment of a Rapid Lesion-Controllable Retinal Degeneration Monkey Model for Preclinical Stem Cell TherapyGuanjie Gao0Liwen He1Shengxu Liu2Dandan Zheng3Xiaojing Song4Wenxin Zhang5Minzhong Yu6Guangwei Luo7Xiufeng Zhong8State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510060, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510060, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510060, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510060, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510060, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510060, ChinaElectrophysiology Laboratory, Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44101, USAState Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510060, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510060, ChinaBackground: Retinal degenerative disorders (RDs) are the main cause of blindness without curable treatment. Our previous studies have demonstrated that human-induced pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into retinal organoids with all subtypes of retina, which provides huge promise for treating these diseases. Before these methods can be realized, RD animal models are required to evaluate the safety and efficacy of stem cell therapy and to develop the surgical tools and procedures for cell transplantation in patients. This study involved the development of a monkey model of RD with controllable lesion sites, which can be rapidly prepared for the study of preclinical stem cell therapy among other applications. Methods: Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in three doses was delivered into the monkey eye by subretinal injection (SI), and normal saline was applied as control. Structural and functional changes of the retinas were evaluated via multimodal imaging techniques and multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) before and after the treatment. Histological examination was performed to identify the target layer of the affected retina. The health status of monkeys was monitored during the experiment. Results: Well-defined lesions with various degrees of retinal degeneration were induced at the posterior pole of retina as early as 7 days after SNP SI. The damage of SNP was dose dependent. In general, 0.05 mM SNP caused mild structural changes in the retina; 0.1 mM SNP led to the loss of outer retinal layers, including the outer plexiform layer (OPL), outer nuclear layer (ONL), and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE); while 0.2 mM SNP impacted the entire layer of the retina and choroid. MfERG showed reduced amplitude in the damaged region. The structural and functional damages were not recovered at 7-month follow-up. Conclusion: A rapidly induced lesion site-controllable retinal degeneration monkey model was established by the subretinal administration of SNP, of which the optimal dose is 0.1 mM. This monkey model mimics the histological changes of advanced RDs and provides a valuable platform for preclinical assessment of stem cell therapy for RDs.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/9/11/2468animal modelmonkeyretinal degenerationsodium nitroprussidestem cell therapy
spellingShingle Guanjie Gao
Liwen He
Shengxu Liu
Dandan Zheng
Xiaojing Song
Wenxin Zhang
Minzhong Yu
Guangwei Luo
Xiufeng Zhong
Establishment of a Rapid Lesion-Controllable Retinal Degeneration Monkey Model for Preclinical Stem Cell Therapy
Cells
animal model
monkey
retinal degeneration
sodium nitroprusside
stem cell therapy
title Establishment of a Rapid Lesion-Controllable Retinal Degeneration Monkey Model for Preclinical Stem Cell Therapy
title_full Establishment of a Rapid Lesion-Controllable Retinal Degeneration Monkey Model for Preclinical Stem Cell Therapy
title_fullStr Establishment of a Rapid Lesion-Controllable Retinal Degeneration Monkey Model for Preclinical Stem Cell Therapy
title_full_unstemmed Establishment of a Rapid Lesion-Controllable Retinal Degeneration Monkey Model for Preclinical Stem Cell Therapy
title_short Establishment of a Rapid Lesion-Controllable Retinal Degeneration Monkey Model for Preclinical Stem Cell Therapy
title_sort establishment of a rapid lesion controllable retinal degeneration monkey model for preclinical stem cell therapy
topic animal model
monkey
retinal degeneration
sodium nitroprusside
stem cell therapy
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/9/11/2468
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