An intractable case of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection after scleral buckling for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment

Nami Nishikiori, Hiroshi OhguroDepartment of Ophthalmology, Sapporo Medical University School of MedicineBackground: Scleral buckling is still a common procedure to repair rhematogenous retinal detachment, and acute or chronic infection of the scleral explant is rare. We report an intractable case of acute scleral explant infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.Case: A 36-year-old man suffered from acute scleral explant infection by P. aeruginosa forty-eight hours after scleral buckling for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. The infection was treated by intravenous administration of various appropriate antibiotics for eighteen days and washing the scleral explant with appropriate antibiotics, and appeared to be resolved. However, three months after the initial surgery, we had to remove the scleral explant because of recurrent infection.Observations: We encountered an intractable case of acute scleral explant infection by P. aeruginosa, that recurred and forced the removal of the scleral explant.Conclusions: We found that recurrence of infection necessitated removal of the scleral explant, even though the organism was sensitive to the antibiotics used to treat the infection, and there was an appropriate duration of treatment. Early diagnosis and countermeasures, first considering conservative management, which may have a role in delaying buckle removal, and thus reduce the risk of retinal redetachment, and help prolong the time until surgical treatment such as removing the scleral explant is required.Keywords: acute scleral explant infection, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, rhegmatogenous retinal detachmen

Experimental effect of retinoic acids on apoptosis during the development of diabetic retinopathy

Nami Nishikiori1,2, Makoto Osanai2, Hideki Chiba2, Takashi Kojima2, Shuichiro Inatomi1,2, Hiroshi Ohguro1, Norimasa Sawada2Departments of 1Ophthalmology and 2Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of MedicinePurpose: This study was conducted to investigate whether retinoic acids (RAs) had any effect on apoptosis during the development of diabetic retinopathy.Methods: To investigate whether RAs had any effect on apoptosis during the development of diabetic retinopathy, we housed 32 C57BL/6 male mice and induced diabetes in 24 by intra peritoneal injections of streptozotocin (STZ; Sigma, St Louis, MO) and treated 16 of the diabetic mice with the RAs, all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) (seven mice) and 4-[(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-2-naphthalenyl)carboxamido] benzoic acid (Am580) (nine mice). The other eight mice were used as diabetic controls. We then measured apoptosis in the retina by TdT-dUTP terminal nick-end labeling assay.Results: RAs inhibited the apoptosis of retinal cells in diabetic retinopathy. Many apoptotic cells were observed in retinas of the eight diabetic control mice (mean value and SD: 37.8 ± 6.9), whereas when diabetic mice were treated with RAs, the number of apoptotic cells significantly decreased (mean value and SD: 9.9 ± 6.4 for the seven ATRA-treated diabetic mice and 9.8 ± 5.9 for the nine Am580-treated diabetic mice) (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Treatment with RAs decreases apoptosis during the development of diabetic retinopathy.Keywords: retinoic acids, apoptosis, diabetic retinopathy, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic facto

FABP4 Is an Indispensable Factor for Regulating Cellular Metabolic Functions of the Human Retinal Choroid

The purpose of the current study was to elucidate the physiological roles of intraocularly present fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4). Using four representative intraocular tissue-derived cell types, including human non-pigmented ciliary epithelium (HNPCE) cells, retinoblastoma (RB) cells, adult retinal pigment epithelial19 (ARPE19) cells and human ocular choroidal fibroblast (HOCF) cells, the intraocular origins of FABP4 were determined by qPCR analysis, and the intracellular functions of FABP4 were investigated by seahorse cellular metabolic measurements and RNA sequencing analysis using a specific inhibitor for FABP4, BMS309403. Among these four different cell types, FABP4 was exclusively expressed in HOCF cells. In HOCF cells, both mitochondrial and glycolytic functions were significantly decreased to trace levels by BMS309403 in a dose-dependent manner. In the RNA sequencing analysis, 67 substantially up-regulated and 94 significantly down-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in HOCF cells treated with BMS309403 and those not treated with BMS309403. The results of Gene Ontology enrichment analysis and ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) revealed that the DEGs were most likely involved in G-alpha (i) signaling, cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) signaling in neurons, the S100 family signaling pathway, visual phototransduction and adrenergic receptor signaling. Furthermore, upstream analysis using IPA suggested that NKX2-1 (thyroid transcription factor1), HOXA10 (homeobox A10), GATA2 (gata2 protein), and CCAAT enhancer-binding protein A (CEBPA) were upstream regulators and that NKX homeobox-1 (NKX2-1), SFRP1 (Secreted frizzled-related protein 1) and TREM2 (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2) were causal network master regulators. The findings in this study suggest that intraocularly present FABP4 originates from the ocular choroid and may be a critical regulator for the cellular homeostasis of non-adipocyte HOCF cells

The Specific ROCK2 Inhibitor KD025 Alleviates Glycolysis through Modulating STAT3-, CSTA- and S1PR3-Linked Signaling in Human Trabecular Meshwork Cells

To investigate the biological significance of Rho-associated coiled-coil-containing protein kinase (ROCK) 2 in the human trabecular meshwork (HTM), changes in both metabolic phenotype and gene expression patterns against a specific ROCK2 inhibitor KD025 were assessed in planar-cultured HTM cells. A seahorse real-time ATP rate assay revealed that administration of KD025 significantly suppressed glycolytic ATP production rate and increased mitochondrial ATP production rate in HTM cells. RNA sequencing analysis revealed that 380 down-regulated and 602 up-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in HTM cells treated with KD025 compared with those that were untreated. Gene ontology analysis revealed that DEGs were more frequently related to the plasma membrane, extracellular components and integral cellular components among cellular components, and related to signaling receptor binding and activity and protein heterodimerization activity among molecular functions. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) revealed that the detected DEGs were associated with basic cellular biological and physiological properties, including cellular movement, development, growth, proliferation, signaling and interaction, all of which are associated with cellular metabolism. Furthermore, the upstream regulator analysis and causal network analysis estimated IL-6, STAT3, CSTA and S1PR3 as possible regulators. Current findings herein indicate that ROCK2 mediates the IL-6/STAT3-, CSTA- and S1PR3-linked signaling related to basic biological activities such as glycolysis in HTM cells

TGF-β Isoforms and Local Environments Greatly Modulate Biological Nature of Human Retinal Pigment Epithelium Cells

To characterize transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) isoform (TGF-β1~3)-b’s biological effects on the human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) under normoxia and hypoxia conditions, ARPE19 cells cultured by 2D (two-dimensional) and 3D (three-dimensional) conditions were subjected to various analyses, including (1) an analysis of barrier function by trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) measurements; (2) qPCR analysis of major ECM molecules including collagen 1 (COL1), COL4, and COL6; α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA); hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α); and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator (PGC1α), a master regulator for mitochondrial respiration;, tight junction-related molecules, Zonula occludens-1 (ZO1) and E-cadherin; and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF); (3) physical property measurements of 3D spheroids; and (4) cellular metabolic analysis. Diverse effects among TGF-β isoforms were observed, and those effects were also different between normoxia and hypoxia conditions: (1) TGF-β1 and TGF-β3 caused a marked increase in TEER values, and TGF-β2 caused a substantial increase in TEER values under normoxia conditions and hypoxia conditions, respectively; (2) the results of qPCR analysis supported data obtained by TEER; (3) 3D spheroid sizes were decreased by TGF-β isoforms, among which TGF-β1 had the most potent effect under both oxygen conditions; (4) 3D spheroid stiffness was increased by TGF-β2 and TGF-β3 or by TGF-β1 and TGF-β3 under normoxia conditions and hypoxia conditions, respectively; and (5) the TGF-β isoform altered mitochondrial and glycolytic functions differently under oxygen conditions and/or culture conditions. These collective findings indicate that the TGF-β-induced biological effects of 2D and 3D cultures of ARPE19 cells were substantially diverse depending on the three TGF-β isoforms and oxygen levels, suggesting that pathological conditions including epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of the RPE may be exclusively modulated by both factors