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Maurissen TL, Spielmann AJ, Schellenberg G, Bickle M, Vieira JR, Lai SY, Pavlou G, Fauser S, Westenskow PD, Kamm RD, Ragelle H. Modeling early pathophysiological phenotypes of diabetic retinopathy in a human inner blood-retinal barrier-on-a-chip. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1372. [PMID: 38355716 PMCID: PMC10866954 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45456-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a microvascular disorder characterized by inner blood-retinal barrier (iBRB) breakdown and irreversible vision loss. While the symptoms of DR are known, disease mechanisms including basement membrane thickening, pericyte dropout and capillary damage remain poorly understood and interventions to repair diseased iBRB microvascular networks have not been developed. In addition, current approaches using animal models and in vitro systems lack translatability and predictivity to finding new target pathways. Here, we develop a diabetic iBRB-on-a-chip that produces pathophysiological phenotypes and disease pathways in vitro that are representative of clinical diagnoses. We show that diabetic stimulation of the iBRB-on-a-chip mirrors DR features, including pericyte loss, vascular regression, ghost vessels, and production of pro-inflammatory factors. We also report transcriptomic data from diabetic iBRB microvascular networks that may reveal drug targets, and examine pericyte-endothelial cell stabilizing strategies. In summary, our model recapitulates key features of disease, and may inform future therapies for DR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas L Maurissen
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases and Ophthalmology, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Alena J Spielmann
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases and Ophthalmology, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Gabriella Schellenberg
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases and Ophthalmology, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marc Bickle
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Institute of Human Biology, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jose Ricardo Vieira
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases and Ophthalmology, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Si Ying Lai
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases and Ophthalmology, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Georgios Pavlou
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sascha Fauser
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases and Ophthalmology, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Peter D Westenskow
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases and Ophthalmology, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Roger D Kamm
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Héloïse Ragelle
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases and Ophthalmology, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland.
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Peña JS, Ramanujam RK, Risman RA, Tutwiler V, Berthiaume F, Vazquez M. Neurovascular Relationships in AGEs-Based Models of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy. Bioengineering (Basel) 2024; 11:63. [PMID: 38247940 PMCID: PMC10813697 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering11010063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Diabetic retinopathy affects more than 100 million people worldwide and is projected to increase by 50% within 20 years. Increased blood glucose leads to the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which cause cellular and molecular dysfunction across neurovascular systems. These molecules initiate the slow breakdown of the retinal vasculature and the inner blood retinal barrier (iBRB), resulting in ischemia and abnormal angiogenesis. This project examined the impact of AGEs in altering the morphology of healthy cells that comprise the iBRB, as well as the effects of AGEs on thrombi formation, in vitro. Our results illustrate that AGEs significantly alter cellular areas and increase the formation of blood clots via elevated levels of tissue factor. Likewise, AGEs upregulate the expression of cell receptors (RAGE) on both endothelial and glial cells, a hallmark biomarker of inflammation in diabetic cells. Examining the effects of AGEs stimulation on cellular functions that work to diminish iBRB integrity will greatly help to advance therapies that target vision loss in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Maribel Vazquez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
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Bora K, Kushwah N, Maurya M, Pavlovich MC, Wang Z, Chen J. Assessment of Inner Blood-Retinal Barrier: Animal Models and Methods. Cells 2023; 12:2443. [PMID: 37887287 PMCID: PMC10605292 DOI: 10.3390/cells12202443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Proper functioning of the neural retina relies on the unique retinal environment regulated by the blood-retinal barrier (BRB), which restricts the passage of solutes, fluids, and toxic substances. BRB impairment occurs in many retinal vascular diseases and the breakdown of BRB significantly contributes to disease pathology. Understanding the different molecular constituents and signaling pathways involved in BRB development and maintenance is therefore crucial in developing treatment modalities. This review summarizes the major molecular signaling pathways involved in inner BRB (iBRB) formation and maintenance, and representative animal models of eye diseases with retinal vascular leakage. Studies on Wnt/β-catenin signaling are highlighted, which is critical for retinal and brain vascular angiogenesis and barriergenesis. Moreover, multiple in vivo and in vitro methods for the detection and analysis of vascular leakage are described, along with their advantages and limitations. These pre-clinical animal models and methods for assessing iBRB provide valuable experimental tools in delineating the molecular mechanisms of retinal vascular diseases and evaluating therapeutic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Jing Chen
- Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Nam U, Lee S, Jeon JS. Generation of a 3D Outer Blood-Retinal Barrier with Advanced Choriocapillaris and Its Application in Diabetic Retinopathy in a Microphysiological System. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2023; 9:4929-4939. [PMID: 37494673 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c00326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
The outer blood-retinal barrier (oBRB) provides an optimal environment for the function of the photoreceptor by regulating the exchange of molecules between subretinal space and the choriocapillaris, and its dysfunction could impair the photoreceptor's function and vision. The existing in vitro models have limitations in reproducing the barrier function or physiological characteristics of oBRB and choriocapillaris. Here, we engineered a microphysiological system-based oBRB-choriocapillaris model that simultaneously incorporates the desired physiological characteristics and is simple to fabricate. First, we generated microvascular networks to mimic choriocapillaris and investigated the role of fibroblasts in vasculogenesis. By adding retinal pigment epithelial cells to one side of blood vessels formed with endothelial cells and fibroblasts and optimizing their culture medium conditions, we established an oBRB-choriocapillaris model. To verify the physiological similarity of our oBRB-choriocapillaris model, we identified the polarization and expression of the tight junction of the retinal pigment epithelium, Bruch's membrane, and the fenestral diaphragm of choriocapillaris. Finally, we tried to recapitulate the diabetes mellitus environment in our model with hyperglycemia and diabetes-related cytokines. This induced a decrease in tight junction integrity, loss of barrier function, and shrinkage of blood vessels, similar to the in vivo pathological changes observed in the oBRB and choriocapillaris. The oBRB-choriocapillaris model developed using a microphysiological system is expected to offer a valuable in vitro platform for retinal and choroidal vascular diseases in preclinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ungsig Nam
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Seokhun Lee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jessie S Jeon
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- KAIST Institute for Health Science and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
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Xian C, Zhang J, Zhao S, Li XG. Gut-on-a-chip for disease models. J Tissue Eng 2023; 14:20417314221149882. [PMID: 36699635 PMCID: PMC9869227 DOI: 10.1177/20417314221149882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The intestinal tract is a vital organ responsible for digestion and absorption in the human body and plays an essential role in pathogen invasion. Compared with other traditional models, gut-on-a-chip has many unique advantages, and thereby, it can be considered as a novel model for studying intestinal functions and diseases. Based on the chip design, we can replicate the in vivo microenvironment of the intestine and study the effects of individual variables on the experiment. In recent years, it has been used to study several diseases. To better mimic the intestinal microenvironment, the structure and function of gut-on-a-chip are constantly optimised and improved. Owing to the complexity of the disease mechanism, gut-on-a-chip can be used in conjunction with other organ chips. In this review, we summarise the human intestinal structure and function as well as the development and improvement of gut-on-a-chip. Finally, we present and discuss gut-on-a-chip applications in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), viral infections and phenylketonuria. Further improvement of the simulation and high throughput of gut-on-a-chip and realisation of personalised treatments are the problems that should be solved for gut-on-a-chip as a disease model.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Xiang-Guang Li
- Xiang-Guang Li, Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, No. 100 Waihuan Xi Road (GDUT), Panyu District, Guangzhou 510006, China.
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Kravchenko SV, Myasnikova VV, Sakhnov SN. [Application of the organ-on-a-chip technology in experimental ophthalmology]. Vestn Oftalmol 2023; 139:114-120. [PMID: 36924523 DOI: 10.17116/oftalma2023139011114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
Organ-on-chip is a microfluidic device that can reproduce in vitro the minimal functional unit of an organ or system of organs and model various physiological processes and body structures with high accuracy. This review covers the main approaches to the use of the organ-on-chip technology in modern experimental ophthalmology. The analysis of literature sources revealed the following main applications of the organ-on-chip technology in ophthalmology; the technology allows modeling the anterior eye surface and its diseases, such as dry eye syndrome, as well as disorders of the posterior segment of the eye such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma. Culturing of eye tissues in microfluidic systems helps identify the toxic effects and pharmacological activity of new compounds, and provides an opportunity for deeper understanding of the normal physiology of the eye and the pathogenesis of ocular diseases. In addition, the technology can reduce the cost and duration of experiments. Thus, the organ-on-a-chip technology has a great potential in the field of experimental ophthalmology and preclinical trials of new ophthalmic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- S V Kravchenko
- Krasnodar branch of S.N. Fedorov National Medical Research Center «MNTK «Eye Microsurgery», Krasnodar, Russia
| | - V V Myasnikova
- Krasnodar branch of S.N. Fedorov National Medical Research Center «MNTK «Eye Microsurgery», Krasnodar, Russia
- Kuban State Medical University, Krasnodar, Russia
| | - S N Sakhnov
- Krasnodar branch of S.N. Fedorov National Medical Research Center «MNTK «Eye Microsurgery», Krasnodar, Russia
- Kuban State Medical University, Krasnodar, Russia
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