141 research outputs found
Characterization of an Immortalized Human Microglial Cell Line as a Tool for the Study of Diabetic Retinopathy
The complexity of the retinal structure reflects on the difficulty to describe its composite cell interactions. Microglia is responsible for the immune reaction to inflammatory stimuli during diabetic retinopathy (DR), but most studies still use rodent cells. We characterized a commercially available immortalized human microglial line and tested its susceptibility to inflammation, to study the interactions between the neuro-vascular retinal portions in species-specific models. After checking the expression of microglial markers, we tried lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation and several pro-inflammatory cocktails to select the best combination able to induce a significant M1 (inflammatory) response. We measured M1 induction through the expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory molecules and performed morphologic and functional assays. Marker expression confirmed the human microglial derivation of these cells. Differently from rodents, LPS did not induce a M1 profile. The best pro-inflammatory stimulus was an interleukin-1β + tumor necrosis factor-α + interferon-γ cocktail, which induced morphology changes and increased proliferation, apoptosis, migration, reactive oxygen species, and the expression of inflammatory cytokines and miRNAs. In conclusion, this microglial line proved potentially useful to investigate the cascade of events leading to DR. In perspective, co-culture models involving microvascular cells will help in the understanding of multifaceted interactions of the neurovascular unit
High glucose and hypoxia-induced damage in the inner blood retinal barrier is counteracted by thiamine supplementation
Human pericyte–endothelial cell interactions in co-culture models mimicking the diabetic retinal microvascular environment
miRNAs shuttled by extracellular vesicles from diabetic subjects induce features of retinopathy in vitro
Effects of the neuroprotective drugs somatostatin and brimonidine on retinal cell models of diabetic retinopathy
Molecular mechanisms of extracellular vesicle-induced vessel destabilization in diabetic retinopathy
Thiamine transporter 2 is involved in high glucose-induced damage and altered thiamine availability in cell models of diabetic retinopathy
HYPOXIA AND HYPERGLYCAEMIA-INDUCED PERICYTE APOPTOSIS: IDENTIFICATION OF PRO-APOPTOTIC MARKERS
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