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Molecules 2021 Mar 9;26(5). Epub 2021 Mar 9.

Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Iceland, Hofsvallagata 53, IS-107 Reykjavik, Iceland.

Cyclodextrins (CDs) have been widely used as pharmaceutical excipients for formulation purposes for different delivery systems. Recent studies have shown that CDs are able to form complexes with a variety of biomolecules, such as cholesterol. This has subsequently paved the way for the possibility of using CDs as drugs in certain retinal diseases, such as Stargardt disease and retinal artery occlusion, where CDs could absorb cholesterol lumps. Read More

Cells 2021 Mar 17;10(3). Epub 2021 Mar 17.

Faculty of Pharma-Sciences, Teikyo University, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8605, Japan.

In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy (DR), subtle biochemical and functional alterations occur in Müller cells, which are one of the components of the blood-retinal barrier (BRB). Müller cells are the principal glia of the retina and have shown a strong involvement in the maintenance of homeostasis and the development of retinal tissue. Their functional abnormalities and eventual loss have been correlated with a decrease in the tight junctions between endothelial cells and a consequent breakdown of the BRB, leading to the development of DR. Read More

Biomaterials 2021 Apr 4;271:120750. Epub 2021 Mar 4.

Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College St, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E5, Canada; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 160 College St, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E1, Canada; Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada. Electronic address:

Vitreous substitutes are clinically used to maintain retinal apposition and preserve retinal function; yet the most used substitutes are gases and oils which have disadvantages including strict face-down positioning post-surgery and the need for subsequent surgical removal, respectively. We have engineered a vitreous substitute comprised of a novel hyaluronan-oxime crosslinked hydrogel. Hyaluronan, which is naturally abundant in the vitreous of the eye, is chemically modified to crosslink with poly(ethylene glycol)-tetraoxyamine via oxime chemistry to produce a vitreous substitute that has similar physical properties to the native vitreous including refractive index, density and transparency. Read More

J Cell Sci 2021 Mar 12. Epub 2021 Mar 12.

Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, 11-43 Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK

Many neuronal and retinal disorders are associated with pathological hyperpermeability of the microvasculature. We have used explants of rodent retinae to study acute neurovascular permeability and signal transduction and the role of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Following stimulation with either vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) or bradykinin (BK), AMPK was rapidly and strongly phosphorylated and acted as a key mediator of permeability downstream of Ca Accordingly, AMPK agonists potently induced acute retinal vascular leakage. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2021 ;2269:125-137

Instituto Universitario de Oftalmobiología Aplicada (IOBA), Universidad de Valladolid, Campus Miguel Delibes, Paseo de Belén 17, Valladolid, Spain.

Ex vivo neuroretina cultures closely resemble in vivo conditions, retaining the complex neuroretina cells dynamics, connections, and functionality, under controlled conditions. Therefore, these models have allowed advancing in the knowledge of retinal physiology and pathobiology over the years. Furthermore, the ex vivo neuroretina models represent an adequate tool for evaluating stem cell therapies over neuroretinal degeneration processes. Read More